Crybaby
by Kate E. Hilliard
Summary: Annie knows this wasn’t supposed to happen. Her boyfriend’s supposed to be alive. Bruce was going to give her a raise, She was about to have it all...but then HE had to come in and ruin it. It's a shame she loves him so much.
1. Lighten Up Kid I'm Only Joking

The club was quiet, unusually, quiet

The club was quiet, unusually, quiet.

Then there she was.

_Go get your ribbon box  
Go get your wounded heart  
Seeing spiders, I'm told they never lie.  
Go get your brother love  
Go get your losing head  
Seeing fire, I'm told it never burns._

Annie Alyss was a nightclub singer, at a place called Monroe.

Then Annie woke up.

It took her a full three minutes to convince herself that she had been dreaming, that there was no Monroe, and she wasn't a renouned nightclub singer.

She was a secretary, Bruce Wayne's secretary.

She hated it.

"Annie, you'll tell Mister Wayne about our appointment later today, won't you."

Annie looked up from her desk and smiled at Lucius Fox.

"Yes sir Mr. Fox, I'll tell him."

Lucius raised an Eyebrow.

"You know if he's late you'll be fired."

Annie paled.

Lucius smiled.

"Lighten up kid, I'm only joking."

Annie smiled.

"I know Mr. Fox, but joking is a dangerous thing."

He shook his head slightly.

"I'll keep that in mind, goodbye Annie."

He started to walk to the elevator.

"Goodbye sir."

The elevator closed.

Annie sighed.

"Go get your ribbon box."

She started singing the jazz club song and picked up her receiver.

"Speed Dial 1." She said to herself.

"Go get your wounded heart., seeing spiders I'm told they nev-"

"Hello?" and English accent said over the line.

"Good Morning, Mr. Pennyworth, is Mr. Wayne awake?"

"Ah, he is Miss Alyss, would you like to speak to him?" Alfred was basically Annie's only link to Bruce at home. If the situation as dire, she would show up at his apartment.

"Oh I would, but directly after this I have to gather details with Mr. Lao."

"Oh, So we're on a tight schedual?"

Annie grimaced.

"I'm afraid so."

She could picture Alfred nodding over at the other end of the line.

"Don't worry, miss, I'll send him on."

She smiled.

"Thank you, Mr. Pennyworth."

"Anytime, miss, goodbye."

"Goodbye."

She hung up.

"speed dial eight."

It rang four times.

The voice on the other end was raspy and growling.

"You have an hour until your boss gets there, you want to come with?"

She sighed.

"Andy, you know I can't do that, and-how did you know that just called my boss?"  
Andy mumbled a laugh,

"Because I know you."

Annie was not amused.

"Look I'm sorry, but I don't feel like being an accessory to a high profile robbery."

She tapped a pencil on her desk.

"Will you stop tapping that pencil and come with me."

Her eyes widened and she stared at the pencil.

"No."

"Aw, come on baby think about your book."

The book was Annie's baby, IT was called Baton Rouge Bang, it was a gothic voodoo love story/bank robbery novel, and she wanted it to be accurate.

Annie bowed her head, because she knew that she'd been beat.

"I hate you, Andy."

"So your coming?"

"…yes." All Annie could think about was her job, it was hard to be a powerful man's secretary from jail.

"You're a hostage, now meet me at the entrance of you building. I love you baby."

He hung up.

Annie jotted down all the information about Lao down, put up her out to breakfast sign and grabbed her coat.

As she entered the Elevator her mind began flashing:

STOP TAKE SOME TIME TO THINK!

YOU'LL GO TO JAIL

IT'LL GO WRONG

YOU'LL DIE

Annie silenced the Carnival Barker known as her conseince and walked out the elevator.

_I wonder how I know it's him._

A horn sounded half a block down.

Annie sighed.

_That's him._


	2. You Have To Say Yes To Have It All

"You know the one thing I never liked about school buses

"You know the one thing I never liked about school buses? The shocks." Annie said as the bus rattled again.

Andy laughed from the drivers seat.

"Baby, You wanted to come."

Her mind let a vulgar joke pass through and she started laughing.

"Uhm Annie you okay?"

"He he he he he HA!, I'm fine."

Andy blinked and said.

"It always scares me when you laugh like that."

Annie smiled.

"As it should."

His eyes narrowed and he became grave.

"Annie get down, It's time."

She looked like a doe in head lights for a nano-second, and ducked to the floor, behind the first seat.

Andy put on a clown mask, and backed the Bus horizontally, burned out then backed into the bank.

It felt like the bus was going to break in half as it was going through the wall.

Annie had to stop herself from screaming.

Andy looked at her and whispered

"I think I just hit somebody."

She stayed quiet.

Andy ran down the bus and hopped out the emergency exit.

He started to talk to another guy in a mask, apparently he had hit someone and they were dead.

"This is a lot of money."

Annie peered her head out just in time to watch her boyfriend get shot.

She started to scream, but clamped her hand over her mouth

_He's dead He's dead He's dead, YOU BOYFRIEND IS DEAD!_

Something in her mind laughed.

_As dead as The Black Parade._

The clown who shot Andy, removed Andy's jacket, remarked that it was good work, and slung it over his shoulder.

A shot was fired at the bus.

She just kept watching

The clown took off his mask, revealing a head of green hair. He -yes she was certain it was a he- walked over to the man with the shot gun and said a few words.

He put a grenade in his mouth and started to string the pin along, and tied it to the bus.

He put the money in the back and closed the door. She watched his hair bob up and down through the edge of the windows as he walked to the bus' door.

He never saw Annie, because he threw Andy's jacket on her without looking.

Annie bit her lip.

_He hasn't seen you be cool He hasn't seen you be cool He hasn't seen you be cool_

_He hasn't seen you be- hey whats that hard thing in Andy's pocket._

She reached in. It was a small, empty velvet box. There was a tag on it that read

**You have to say yes, then you can have it all.**

Annie buried her face in her hands and started to cry.

_I want it all, I pull you back. I want it all._


	3. This Time Don't Be Violent

He'd found her

He'd found her.

She decided her best bet would be to play dead.

Of course she was wrong.

"Oh-ho-ho, Who's this?" The green haired man said.

_Stay still Annie, you had a heart attack, or a blood clot that traveled to your brain, it doesn't matter as long as you get out alive_

She stay still and quiet.

Then he licked her face from the corner of her mouth, to her temple.

Annie opened her eyes and almost screamed.

His face was scarred into a smile, and he had painted himself like a sinister clown with black eyes.

"Now, Now, Missy, It's not polite to stare."

She glared up at him and lunged for him.

He didn't move but three two goons grabbed her arms, before she could get to him.

Then she started to scream.

"YOU KILLED HIM YOU KILLED ANDY! I SWEAR TO GOD I'M GOING TO FRIGGIN KILL YOU!"

He started laughing, " Oh, Watch out boys, she's rabid."

He tilted his head to the side and spoke softly.

"I'm afraid I don't know you name yet, pretty girl."

She was repulsed by him.

He started to get close to her and she bashed her forehead into his.

When he knew that he'd been hit, he put his back to her and started laughing again.

"Lucky for you, I like that."

He turned back to her and examined her face,

She'd busted her forehead and blood was pouring all over her face.

His tongue flicked out to the side of his mouth.

"Now look at what you've done…" He shoved his hand into her pocket, despite all her struggling. He took out her wallet and read over her driver's license.

"…Annie Maitilda Alyss of thirty-two W. Harlow Street,…" He was pacing the bus.

"…Age Twenty Seven-and-a-half…" He hopped with every syllable of "and a half.

"Sex is Female-Thank god, and She's and Organ Donor, five foot eleven, one-hundred and thirty pounds with a pair of pretty blue eyes."

He grinned and walked back over to her.

"Now let's try this again." He flicked his tongue out again.

"This time don't be Violent."

He put his switchblade in her mouth.

Her eyes widened a little, and she made eye contact with him.

To her shock and revulsion she thought they were almost soulful.

"I am The Joker, aaaaaand I have I nice little room where we can stitch that little problem up there..."

He put his fingers to the break in her skin and started to grind his nails against the bone of her skull.

Annie bit down on the blade to stop from screaming.

"…Riiiiiiiiight up, Okay?" He was smiling at her now.

She stared in his eyes again..

He sneered at her.

"I don't like quiet girls."

The Joker yanked the blade out of her mouth so fast that it made a small cut on the corner, he'd put his tongue to earlier.

Annie gave a small gasp.

"and there'll be more where that came from if you don't cooperate."

He broke their small staring match and looked at the goon holding her left arm.

"Take her to our Private room."

Annie started fighting against them again, but the just hit her into submission.

"You should be grateful he didn't kill you." Left arm goon said.

"He's been in a good mood since he sacked that bank this morning." Right arm goon told her.

She was dragged to what was not a room, but a cage with one door.

They tossed her in, and she hit the floor with a loud thud.

"One hundred and Thirty pounds, my ass."

"Screw You!" She shouted at them through the bars.

Left arm goon laughed.

"Screw You? What is this eighth grade?"

She growled at them.

"Whatever ,doll face. Have fun."

They walked out.

The lights went out.

Annie sighed, and held her head in her hands.

Her mind flooded with images of Andy, laughing yelling, singing Weezer and being an idiot.

_You've go to stop crying, it's fixes nothing._

"SHUT UP!" She screamed into the darkness.

With wide, realizing Eyes she started crying again.

_I'm going to go mad in this place._

_Not if you kill them._

She kept the tears streaming down her face, and started smiling in her sorrow.

_Cry baby, cry baby, cry. Soaking down your face.  
Cry baby, cry baby, and you can't understand how I could just kill a man._


	4. Authors Note Kinda Important

Hello all, my name is Kate, and I write this story

Hello all, my name is Kate, and I write this story.

I am really quite happy you all like it.

Three Alerts and a Review?? In one night?!

Woah.

Now you may have some questions,

1: What the crap is up with having part of the first line repeated.

Honestly I don't know what that is, The site does it when I upload the documents.

There have been no disclaimers and here's one now.

I don't own it, If I did own The Joker…well, what would you do If you owned the Joker?

I'm having a bit of Writers block, BUT don't worry, I know what direction it's headed in, and I'm seeing the movie again at Five O clock today, so my memory will be refreshed, and passions re-newed.

I am working on chapter four, and really hate to fake you out with this Author's Letter, however, in the mean time I'm holding a little contest, to keep you all entertained.

I need four people to be the Joker's henchmen.

I want you to message me with your henchmen's profile and if you make the cut, you're in the story, though you might die.

Sadly, we are not accepting Henchwomen at this time, _**that**_ will come later

So Ladies and Gentlemen, post up your Man-selves, and your selves.

Because your personality helps make the story flow, just as much as Annie's does.

P.S.

Kill you? I don't want to kill you! What would I do without you? Go back to ripping off mob dealers? No, no, you... you complete me.


	5. I Got A New Toy

"WAKEY, WAKEY MISS ANNIE

"WAKEY, WAKEY MISS ANNIE!"

Annie's eyes were opened, by an unfamiliar hand.

She smacked it away, and got punched in the jaw.

"Now here I was trying to be nice, and you hit me, like that, you need to learn some manners."

It was him, The Joker.

Annie felt a blunt object comedown hard on her back. It cracked her spine.

"I… got a new toy."

Annie rolled over.

It was a wooden baseball bat.

She groaned and got up.

He hit her again, this time in the shoulder.

She grabbed her arm in pain and fell over.

It wasn't broken, but it hurt like a mother.

"Get up." He barked.

She did.

He got her in the hip, and she fell forward into his arms.

"I really appreciate it, but not on the first date."

She looked up at him with a glare and a smile.

Blood came out of her mouth and stained his favorite vest.

"You hit like a girl." She whispered to him.

That got to him.

He got out his switch blade, and kicked her in the chest.

Annie stumbled back and hit the corner of the cage.

"You know who said that to me?"

"Who? You're last lover, Jake?"

He backhanded her.

"My father said it, you arrogant heathen, I _**hated**_ my father."

"Oh I'm the heathen? Check out who's beating a defenseless woman."

He slammed his fist on the top of her head, grabbed her collar, and started to hit her in the face repeatedly.

When he finished her nose was bloody, her mouth was bleeding, but in spite of it all the skin break on her forehead was healing quite well.

She was unconscious.

"I don't want her to eat for a week. You can give her water, but I want her to look like she's been shooting Heroine for years." He said. Normally the Joker didn't like to hit women, but she was just so…uncooperative. The Joker walked out of the cage and went to his desk, he wrote something on an index card, and told a goon to go toss it to the girl.

"Well what is it boss?"

The Joker rolled his eyes at the goon and smacked his lips.

"It's a love letter now go put in with her."

He watched the goon walk out and kept a sneer on his painted face.

He picked up the Gotham Times' comics and started to read them.

"I never did get Doonsbury."

_No to your letters love  
No to unsturdy hands  
Sleeping eyes, I'm told they never lie._

**If you weren't a fan of the abuse, stay with me until about the next four chapters and you'll see it'll all be okay**

**I lied a bit, about the block, you think you've got it then, you don't**


	6. Hey Crybaby

When Annie woke up, she felt like she'd been through hell

When Annie woke up, she felt like she'd been through hell.

_Oh right, I forgot, haHA I AM in hell_

There was an index card on her lap that read: _**SORRY PRETTY GIRL**_

She snorted and started to get up.

Her body cried out for rest, but she ignored it.

There was one flickering fluorescent light in the middle of the cage.

Annie threw up. She cracked her neck, and started to pace around her cage.

A goon came in with a bottle of water.

She ran to the door.

"Hey, psst Buddy, can you do me a solid and let me out? You got kids?"

The goon looked at her and said nothing.

"Well I do, I'm all they've got. So can you let me out huh? Please?"

It was a lie, a terrible, terrible lie, and she should have never said it.

The goon started reaching for the keyhole, he had a pick.

Annie started to smile.

The goon flipped her The Bird, and walked out of the room.

_Sucks to be you when I get out of here "buddy"_

She started walking again, drinking the water slowly.

The Joker was watching her through a two-way mirror that was hidden in the dark.

"What's happening to her boss?" A goon asked.

The Joker smacked his lips.

"Well, if she keeps doing that… she's going to go mad."

A week went bye, and Annie was starting to lose it.

She was walking faster and climbing all over the cage trying to find a way out, rattling it and screaming.

Then one day she stopped. She got quiet and stayed very still.

A few of the goons thought she was dead.

Annie had curled up in the corner of the cage, With her head leaning back on the bars , eyes wide open never blinking but crying.

She was always crying, she never slept or drank, she just cried.

And just as the Joker had predicted she looked like she's been shooting heroine for years.

The Joker was behind his mirror and decided it was time to let her have some human contact.

"Oh Annie?"

The Joker had turned the lights on and was walking into the room.

"Are you ready to play nice now?"

She didn't move.

"Annie? Are You home?"

Nothing, her eyes were still wide and she was still crying.

"Oh this is getting ridiculous." He said to himself.

The grabbed the door and yanked it open

"HEY CRYBABY!"

That got something out of her, she hugged her knees tighter.

"You've been like this for days Annie, You can come out now."

He got closer and she tried to make herself as small as possible.

He grabbed her hair and yanked her up.

"I'm talking to you, CRYBABY!"

She made eye contact with him.

The joker smacked his lips and stared in to her irises.

"I don't like it when my girls cry."

He took out his switch blade.

"And I know how to make it stop."

He looked at her, taking in her face, then he smiled.

"You won't feel a thing."

He put the knife to the corner of her eye, and began to carve. Whatever tears she lets fall, he carved a line down it's trail. By them time he was finished there were eleven lines, with curves and forks. When she started to cry again, it stung the saltwater in her tears, were burning her wounds.

The Joker turned to go.

"I'm sorry, sir."

He whipped around, and stared at her.

She was looking up at him with sad eyes.

"I'm so sorry, sir."

He raised an eyebrow at her and asked her.

"Are you ready to come out now…"

He smirked at her.

"…Crybaby?"

"If you seem it fit sir."

He smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Why am I such a nice guy?"

She stood in the corner.

"Well come on.." He motioned to the door.

"Ladies first."

She stared at the floor and walked silently out of the door.

The Joker sighed.

"I went too far."

_No to your key of rust  
No to your raging words  
Sleeping tires, I'm told they never drive._


	7. You See Those Three Guys?

A goon had stitched her up, while the Joker watched

A goon had stitched her up, while the Joker watched. She watched him the entire time.

She almost made him feel guilty. It made him a little curious.

He licked his lip.

"So tell me Crybaby, who are you?"

She blinked at him.

"I'm Crybaby."

He sighed and nodded his head.

"That's what I thought."

_That's good going Joke, you broke her._

_**I didn't mean to, she just was so-**_

_You know who you acted like back there?_

…_**no.**_

_LIAR! You know, You acted like your FATHER!_

_**NO!**_

"NO!" He yelled it out so his mind could hear it loud and clear.

"Are you alright, Sir?" Crybaby asked, her face full of concern.

The goon stitching her face told her not to move.

The Joker got serious, and smacked his lips.

"I'm fine Annie."

She looked at him quizzically.

"Who?"

He corrected himself.

"I'm fine, Crybaby."

She smiled.

"Glad to hear it, sir."

_Well you've done it, you've really done it haven't you? Robbed that poor girl of all her strength and wit, for all you know she'd could have been a doctor, or –_

_**I don't like Doctors they're all two-faced**_

_True, but doctors tried to save your mother. She could have been some poor kid's last chance to have a parent, and you took that._

_**SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP I DON'T NEED YOU!**_

_Then I'll leave, I warn you life with out conscience is very….bad._

Then The Joker's mind was quiet.

"Sir?"

He looked to Crybaby.

"Hmm?"

She looked to the goon that had fixed her.

"Crybaby, you look nervous." His voice grew into it's psychotic voice of concern.

"It's my scars." She said it softly like it was her darkest secret, that if the rest of the world knew she's be slandered and maimed.

"Crybaby, Crybaby, look at me." He grinned.

Fear came into her eyes.

He held her chin, and moved her head from side to side.

"You're beautiful."

She blushed.

"Thank you, sir."

"Oh Anytime, NOW…" He put his arm over her shoulder to turn her around.

"You see those three guys?"  
The three men around the van looked scary and mean, she was unsure, but she nodded.

"Yes sir."

"You're going to leave with them and in about three weeks, I'm going to come and get you, understand?"

"Yes sir, but i-if it is not to bold…" She hid her face like she was anticipating a blow.

"Why do you wish me away?"

He smacked her in the mouth.

Her hand went directly over it.

"I deserved it sir, I'm sorry."

His voice got a little aggressive.

"They are going to take you, and turn you into what I want you to be…a killer."

He started circling around her like a vulture.

"A ruthless thieving, killer, Can you do that for me Crybaby?"

"Yes, Sir."  
"That's good, that's what I like about you Crybaby, always giving, but never slutty."

She tried to hide her giggles.

He raised his eyebrows.

"You can laugh you know."

Crybaby's laugh, was nothing like Annie's laugh. Annie's was warm and loud, Crybaby's was high, and sounded like …

It sounded like someone who'd lost their mind.

"Well go on, Crybaby."

He patted her on the top of her head..

She walked towards the men like she was expecting to be stabbed in the back.

She got in the truck and The Joker got a call from the driver.

"You sure about this, boss?"

"Oh I think you can handle one little girl."

_I want it all, I pull you back. I want it all._


	8. We Used Poisonous Gases

To the Joker's surprise, it only took two weeks

"You have to get down here, man, she's a killing machine! She's killed two people, Already!" It was the Driver, Michael, from when they took her away.

The Joker giggled,

"Well, how'd you get her to do that?"

"I don't know, she wasn't doing to well, so we put on a radio, some old eighties crap came on, and she chopped the guy in half.

"Which way?" He demanded.

"What?"

"WHICH WAY DID SHE CUT HIM, MICHAEL!? UP? DOWN? HAMBURGER? HOTDOG? WHAT!?

"Uh-um Diagonally from his right shoulder to his left hip."

"Thank you Michael. Now what song was playing?

"I don't know, sir."

"Well, you better find out if you want your pretty little wife to …hehe…keep together, as it were."

He could hear Michael breathing at the other end of the line.

"How do you know about Victoria?"

The Joker smiled.

"You just told me."

He hung up.

Across town Crybaby was causing trouble.

She had an umbrella, and was sitting on a park bench that had been brought in years before to try and simulate the city park.

Two men were trying to attack her from behind.

Suddenly, she stood, whipped around and the umbrella exploded into two halves. The Umbrella was actually a specially designed weapon, its handle was circular, allowing the blade to move like an airplane propeller, when the wielder wanted it to. It's design had been stolen from Wayne Enterprises, and Crybaby, was quite _proficient _with it.

Before the men knew what had happened, one of them's head was on the floor.

The other looked at her with fear in his eyes.

She smiled.

"You scared?"

The man nodded.

"Don't worry…" Her voice was soft and eerie.

"I'll even break the blade… just for you."

She place her thumb on the center of the sword, and it snapped down the middle.

"But before I go, do you want to hear a story?"

The man (still in fear for his life) nodded.

"It's about how I got such a pretty face." She flipped her hair.

"You see I was in love with this man, who liked to rob banks. Then He died, don't know how, or when, but I know he did,…hahaha, I don't even remember his name!"

She was backing the man into a corner, the man began to plead.

"I got sucked along on one of his …_excursions_ and I got kidnapped! HA! Isn't that a hoot? Well, I was put in a cage, I went through hell,…"

Her voice got grave and raspy.

"I was cut for crying, I got deformed because of my female emotional habits."

She started to gesticulating wildly.

"I was sent here, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand then I heard a song….my _favorite_ song, and suddenly I got my mind back…"

The man looked like he was about to cry.

"You know what? You're right…."

She whipped the blades on their axis gouged them into the wall behind him.

"I did get it back…."

She pushed the wooden ring down so the blades would cross an inch from his neck.

"I just didn't put in it right."

She punched the inside of the ring and severed his corroded artery.

Blood exploded all over the place.

She shrieked.

"DAMN IT! This was my favorite shirt." She sneered at the man's corpse and ripped her weapon out of the wall. It snapped back into one blade. She skipped back over to the bench, and fixed the sword back into an umbrella. Crybaby started to Whistle and she walked out of the training facility.

"See?!" Michael and The Joker had watched Crybaby's display.

"She is quite the talented little thing, isn't she?" The Joker said.

"Talented? She's a freakin' maniac!"

"Michael…"

"SHE'S CRAZY!"

"No….She's not."

"Yes she is didn't you see, that?"

"She…is not…crazy."

"YES SHE-"

The Joker stabbed Michael in the throat.

"No she's not."

He walked out of the observation room and started look ing for Crybaby.

He found her in the shower, singing.

"The humans are dead, The humans are dead, We used poisonous gases, and We poisoned their asses."

The Joker laughed.

Crybaby froze.

"I didn't mean to interrupt."

She looked out the shower curtain, and grabbed a towel.

Crybaby, shut off the water, and came out of the shower dressed in the towel.

She knelt to the floor, and her stifled a laugh.

She was bowing for him.

"Is it time to go, sir?"

He nodded.

"Go get your stuff, we have a date."

She thanked him and exited the bathroom.

The Joker followed her.

His mind wolf whistled.

_**Look at those legs!**_

He shook his head.

It was the first time his conscience and his mind had actually agreed with one another.

--

**I don't think this a great chapter, but I want to know what you think. Now, that song she's singing? It's Flight of the Conchords, Robots, It is about robot oppression and then Robots taking over the world. I don't like putting Author's notes at the bottom of my chapters either...What am I still doing here?**


	9. My Boss Is Worth More Than That

She came out in a simple gray dress

She came out in a simple gray dress., She'd painted her face white, with purple lips, and trails of black tears appeared to be rolling down her face.

"Is it…acceptable, sir?"

He nodded.

"I like it, now come on, we have to go, the men we're meeting are impatient, and I think they're gonna love you."

There was black Escalade with it's windshield shot out idling in the parking lot.

"You're gonna want this." The Joker handed her the umbrella.

She grinned.

"Thank you, sir."

The building they arrived at was nothing short of condemned. It was falling apart and looked to be extremely unsafe.

He noticed her unease.

"Don't worry Crybaby…" He cupped her cheek.

"It's all gonna be okay."

She kept her eyes on the floor, watching his feet for direction.

They came to a door, and he took out a roll of one hundred dollar bills, and handed it to the men at the metal detector. When the man replied that this would only get one person in, he promptly got stabbed in the chest. For Crybaby, it was like the Joker had just bought her roses. He caught some of the conversation, and started to stalk in, Crybaby following him closely. He was giving out a low, ghoulish laughter,

"And I thought, my Jokes were bad."

A man Crybaby knew to be Gambol, a mafia leader from the Stevensburg part of downtown, spoke to The Joker angrily

"Gimme One reason, I shouldn't have my Boy here pull your head off."

Crybaby's eyes ignited and she put her hand firmly on the handle of her umbrella.

"How about a magic trick?" The Joker said to him, completely unfazed.

He took out a pencil and drove it into the table in front of him.

"I'm going to make this pencil disappear."

The man Gambol had referred to stood, and Crybaby got out of his way.

The tried to swing at the Joker, but he dodged it and slammed the man's head onto the pencil.

"Tah-Dah...It's…" He sighed, before he could finish his sentence.

"It's gone."

Crybaby giggled slightly, but was silenced by a stern look from his painted face.

"Oh and by the way, the suit? It wasn't cheap. You oughtta know, you bought it."

Gambol stood, and Crybaby took a step towards him, pointing her umbrella at him.

He laughed at her.

"What's that going to do?"

She looked to the Joker for permission to speak.

He licked his lips, and nonchalantly flipped his hand.

"Go ahead."

She smiled and replied to gamble.

"It can survive a pencil."

Gambol scowled at her.

He took another step toward the Joker, and Crybaby got ready to press the button, but Chechen told him to sit.

"I want to hear his proposition."

The Joker's eyes went to The Chechen, then back to Gambol.

Gambol reluctantly sat down, Crybaby lowered her umbrella.

The Joker licked his lips again.

"Let's wind the clocks back a year… These cops and lawyers, wouldn't dare cross any of you, I mean what happened, did your balls drop off?"

Crybaby hung her head to try to suppress her laughter.

"Hmmm? You see a guy like me-"

"Freak." Gambol spat at him.

She growled, and would have killed him right there, if The Joker hadn't put up an arm to stop her.

"A guy like me…look, listen, I know why you choose to have your little…" He and forced cough to show how ridiculous he thought it was.

"…Group therapy sessions in broad daylight. I know why you're afraid to go out at night…"

The whole room was still.

"The Batman."

Glares were drawn on every face in the room.

"See Batman has shown Gotham your true colors, unfortunately. Dent? He's just the beginning. And uh as for the…televisions so called plan? The Batman has no jurisdiction. He'll find him and make him squeal…"

The joker twisted his hands like he was wringing a chicken's neck.

"I know squealers when I see them, and…" HE pointed to the television, who in turn covered his camera with his hand and turned it off.

_Coward_! Crybaby's mind screamed.

"What do you propose?" The Chechen asked.

"It's simple, we-uh kill the Batman."

His statement was met with murmurs of laughter all around the room.

Maroni smirked and retorted with:  
"If it's so simple, why haven't you done it already?"

"If you're good at something, never do it for free."

"How much you want?" IT was the Chechen again,

_My he's talkative._ Crybaby's mind said to her.

"Uh-Half."

He was met with more laughter.

"You're crazy." Gambol said to him.

"No I'm not…No…I'm _not_…"

"If we don't deal with this now, soon little uh-Gambol won't be able to get a nickel for his Grandma."

Gambol slammed his hands on the table.

"ENOUGH from the clown." He stood and started to come at the Joker, and Crybaby stepped between them.

"Ha-ta-ta-ta-ta Let's not blow…" The Joker opened his coat to reveal several grenades sewn into pockets on his coat, all attached to a pull string on his thumb.

"…things out of proportion."

Gambol threw Crybaby out of the way and yelled at the Joker.

"You think you can steal from us, and just walk away?"

"Yeah."

"I'm putting the word out five hundred grand for this clown dead, a million alive, so I can teach him some manners first."

Crybaby delicately slipped the sword out of it's umbrella shaft casing, and slowly placed it at Gambol's Achilles' tendons.

"My boss is worth more than that."

She sliced them.

Gambol yelled out and fell to his knees. There were guns on her in seconds.

"Hut-tut-tut." The Joker smacked his lips again.

"The girl gets hurt, we all go bang."

Gambols men put their guns away.

"YOU GONNA TAKE ORDERS FROM THIS CLOWN?" Gambol yelled from the floor.

"Crybaby, go get your toy." The Joker commanded her

She hurried over and sheathed her blade and walked back over to him.

"Right so listen, why don't you give me a call..."

He motioned to the other mob leaders.

"…When you want to start taking things a little more seriously."

He reached in his back pocket.

"Here's… my… card." He took out a Joker card he'd stolen from a deck in a grocery store he robbed.

He placed it on the table and started to back out of the room, Crybaby in front of him.

"Come along my dear."

She turned and started to walk out with him.

He kicked a door open and they ran out the back.

Once they were outside. He started to get angry with her.

"What were you THINKING!? HUH GIRLIE!? Show out in front of the bosses, try to make a name for your self."

When she didn't respond, he slapped her hard on the cheek.

"WELL!?"

"I just thought…you were worth more than that, sir."

His expression softened a little bit.

"Up against the wall. Just-uh close your eyes and relax."

She stood there, waiting, eyes closed and relaxed like he'd asked.

He kicked her in the center of her chest, and it knocked the wind out of her.

She let out a hollow gasp.

"Now…that being done, what you did was very clever, don't do it again." He offered his hand to help her up, which she gladly took.

As they started walking back to the Escalade, he snaked his arm around her waist.

_Give it up you're attached._

**Am not.**

_Yes you are._

**Prove it?**

_You cupped her face, you have you arm around her waist, you're totally smitten._

**Don't you have Catholics to go bother?**

**/-- --\ **

**If you're Catholic don't get offended most of my friends, are Catholic and they loved the joke so much they repented for it.**

**P.S. They loved that line too.**


	10. You Can Always Learn From The Master

"We're gonna get Gambol

"We're gonna get Gambol." He announced to her from across the table.

They'd shot up a bar, in order to get free drinks.

For a split second she thought about choking on her drink, but she didn't.

"How would you like me to make it happen sir?"

He flicked his tongue out.

"Well, Crybaby, you're going to need a new set of clothes and a garbage bag."

She raised an eyebrow at him and took to her drink again.

The clothes were next door, at a department store, she walked in grabbed what she needed and walked out. A security guard tried to stop her, and she shot him in the shoulder. She would've killed him but he was wearing a wedding ring.

She rinsed of her make up and applied some eye liner. With that weeklong water only diet and then not-having-anything-for-four-days stage, she was so skinny the scars made her look like a crack whore.

She kinda liked it.

"Absolutely beautiful." The Joker said when she came out.

"Like a..like a cross breed of that whore on the street corner and Amy Winehouse."

The whore on the street corner was actually a teenager who looked like she'd taken a wrong turn after raiding Old Navy.

"Thank you sir." She smiled and bowed her head.

"Soooo modest, and yet so psychotic."

He clapped his hands together.

"Alrighty boys wrap me up!" He crossed his arms over his chest like a mummy and let them cover him in the black plastic.

The Goon that stitched her up (who had introduced himself as Undead) walked over to her.

"Now remember. Crybaby, you tell them-"

"That he hurt me and I killed him from behind, Undead, I know."

"Well there's something else…"

"Well spit it out we're about to leave."

"The Boss…told me to give you this…" He handed her the baseball bat from four weeks in the past.

She stared at it with wide eyes.

"Thank you Undead." She wiped her mouth out of reflex.

It felt like she just been slapped.

"You guys ready to go?" Another goon (This one's Neon) shouted from the backseat.

She watched as they loaded The Joker into the back of the escalade.

She sighed.

She examined the bat for a second, and bounced it in her hand.

"Gentlemen, let's move out."

The ride over to Stevensburg was long and akward.

There were a thousand ways it could go wrong, and then their cause would be lost.

She parked the Escalade three blocks away from Gambol's billiards hall.

"You boys, ready?"

The men nodded with stone looks on their faces.

"So, no?"

They nodded again.

"Good."

She pulled up in front of the hall.

Two men in suits came out to her.

"State your name and purpose."

Crybaby rolled down the window.

" YOU!"

"Yes me, and my _Umbrella _Academy."

"Give me one reason-"

"That you shouldn't pull my head off- yes, I've heard that, and I have a good reason… I have killed the Joker."

The man laughed.

"You? Kill the Joker? Do you think I was born yesterday?"

"He hit me. Like my husband used to, like my FATHER used to, Like my own GOD FORSAKEN OLD BOSS USED TO!" She punched the steering wheel for effect.

"So I killed him." She leaned half her body out the window and grabbed his face.

"Now are you gonna take me to your boss…"

She pulled out a switch blade from her pocket, and aimed it at his left eye.

"Or am I gonna have to show you're friend here, how I did it?"

He looked at her, then looked at his friend then looked at the switch blade.

"Right this way ma'am."

She smiled at him.

"Thank you, sir, how polite you've been."

She leaned back in the car and grabbed the bat.

"Well, what are you waiting for, Gentlemen? Go get him."

The goons filed out of the car and unloaded the Joker.

"We'll take it from here." The men Gambol had sent out took the Joker and started to carry him inside.

"Yo, Gambol, Somebody here for you. They say they've just killed the Joker."

"They've brought the body"

When Crybaby and the goons entered the room, Gambol's men had placed the Joker on the pool table in his office.

"Hello Gambol, miss me much?"

"You, you malicious whore, you killed him?"  
"Me and the Umbrella Academy."

"Why would you kill him?" He was getting skeptical. Crybaby shrugged.

"He hit me. I don't like being hit…and I love love love love love love money."

Gambol took the plastic off the Joker's face.

"Why shouldn't I kill you."

"I know, right, I mean it's a miracle you walking right now."

"WHY!?"

She smiled again, she could see why the Joker liked being in charge so much.

Power feels good.

"Because even if he was one abusive son of a .." She bit her lip, to stop herself.

"He was the master…"

Gambol cast her a vary glance.

"…and you can always learn from the master."

She opened up her hoodie and the men that had brought the Joker in cursed.

She'd done exactly what he'd done, She'd sewn grenades into her clothes.

Gambol grimaced.

"So.. Dead? That's five hundred."

The Joker sprang up and grabbed Gambol's head.

"How about alive?"

Crybaby, Neon, and Undead grabbed Gambol's men and forced then on their knees.

The Joker turned Gambol around and held his switch blade to the corner of his mouth.

"You wanna know how I got these scars?"

Gambol was scared.

The Joker rolled his eyes up.

"My father was a drinker and a fiend… and one night he goes off craaaazier then usual…mommy gets the kitchen knife to defend herself. He doesn't like that. Not…One...Bit…" He spat the words out with a growl.

"So, me watching, he takes the knife too her, laughing while he does it. He turns to me then he says "_**Why so serious?**_..."

Crybaby shuddered.

"…Comes at me with the knife _**"Why so serious?" **_puts the blade in my mouth _**"Lets put a smile on the face." **_…aaaaaaaaaaaaand…" He looked at the man who tried to threaten Crybaby, licked his lips and said,

"Why so serious?"

He stabbed Gambol through the roof of his mouth, and let him fall to the floor.

The Joker removed the garbage bags and started to take command again.

"Now,…our operation is small, but there's a lot of potential for…" He walked over and picked up a cue stick

"…Aggressive expansion, now…which of you gentlemen would like to join our team- oh there's only one spot open right now, so we're gonna have…" He broke the cue stick in half.

"…Try-outs."

He dropped the sharper of the two halves and walked past the threemen.

"Make it fast."

Crybaby, and the four goons started following him out.

"OH- and one more thing, I don't like you."

He shot the man who he'd tilted his head to five minutes before.

It caused a distraction, so one of Gambol's me stabbed the other.

The Joker made a "Hm" noise.

"Ok, now we can go."


	11. A Mad Scientist, I Assume

The Joker watched TV closely

The Joker's attention was on the television set on the bookshelf in his office. Crybaby was leaning on it, even thought it put her in shadows.

_Fifty men were arrested today on Conspiracy charges after they pooled their money together, using a foreign account in Hong Kong. They are to be charged with-_

He cut the TV off.

"I tried to tell them, didn't I my dear?" He turned his eyes to Crybaby who replied

"You certainly did, sir."

He extended his index and middle fingers, and pointed up to his face.

"But, did they listen to me? No, of course not!"

The Joker began to pace around.

"Why would anyone _**ever**_ take a clown seriously?"

"You're not a clown, sir, you're scientist...a social scientist"

He raised his eyebrows at her, and crossed his arms in front of him

"An mad scientist I assume?"

She let out a soft "ha", and shifted her weight to her other foot.

"Sir, of course not, you aren't mad, you're just…eccentric." Crybaby said, coming away from the wall

"You mean a freak?" He spat at her.

"Absolutely not, at least not to me, to people like Gambol, yes, but now everyone knows what happens when you think like Gambol…"

The Joker gave her a sly smile.

"You're a sociopath."

She licked her lips.

"You made me that way."

They stayed quiet, for what felt like hours.

"Well, it is late…good night." She stalked out of the room like a cat.

He couldn't help but notice a slight sway in her hips.

_What are you?_

His mind sighed in defeat.

**Attached.**

_To Who?_

**To Annie.**

_Why?_

**Because she has legs that won't quit.**

_WRONG ANSWER!_

**I DON'T KNOW!**

_How about… BECAUSE SHE WOULD KILL FOR YOU? TAKE A BULLET FOR YOU? __DIE FOR YOU__? You've seen what she can do, you KNOW that no one can really contain that, she's here, for you, and ONLY you._

**I know.**

_You do?_

**And it's going to hurt like a bitch when she dies.**

The next morning came swiftly.

The Joker fell asleep at his desk.

"Sir?"

He stirred and groggily stared up at Neon.

"What are you doing in here?"

"Crybaby, told me to look in on you, sir."

"Does anywhere that statement contain, "Wake up the Joker."?

"No, sir, but it is Nine-thirty."

Neon got shot in the arm.

"Get out of here."

"Y-y-y-y-yes sir." Undead ran out of the room.

He couldn't get back to sleep. The Joker put on his coat and walked out to find his goons.

They were playing poker in the bunk area.

"Well well well , What a constructive use of time we have here."

There was a small scramble, to stand. The goons faced him.

He scanned their faces.

"Where's the girl?"

"She's in the shower."

"Hm…" The Joker started to walk out, and something sparked in his mind.

"Weren't there five out you before?" He turned and asked them.

The goons cast their gaze to a dark red spot, before him on the floor

He sneer at it.

**She's getting out of hand.**

_You can't contain that, no one can._

"Don't worry, boys" He smacked his lips and held his hands up as if trying to stop them.

The goons did nothing.

"I'll go talk to her."

The shower room (which is what it as since the bathrooms were down the hall) was so steamed that he couldn't even she a blur of himself in the mirror.

"Crybaby, you really need to stop killing goons."

She replied, "…Even when they try to stage a mutiny?"

"Are you drunk?" He growled her.

"…maybe."

"Do me a favorrrr…" He rolled the R "when you get sober come and see me."

"Ok."

He left the room and went back to his office, a trail of steam in his wake.

_You're not going to hurt her._

**Look, I like her, but she needs to understand, she shouldn't be drinking with them **_**then**_** killing them, the peoper way to deal with it is to kill then drink.**

_So, you are going to hurt her._

**Afraid so.**

About two hours later Crybaby walked into his office, head down and ashamed.

"I take it you know why you're here then?"

She nodded.

"My apologies, sir."

He sighed and moved towards her.

"I'm afraid apologies won't do this time, Crybaby…"

She swallowed hard and closed her eyes.

_He's going to kill me._

The Joker grabbed her by the neck and threw her up against the wall.

"I don't know what _emotion_ you think I feel for you, but…" He was too angry with her, and he lost his train of thought.

"Be warned, my dear, I don't want you, hmhmhmMUAHAHA, I barely even like you!" The growl he'd started with had shifted into his high toned maniac voice.

She paled and started to shake.

"But, I don't like to hurt girls." He sharked slightly shaking his head and rolled his eyes to the right.

"I'm, not that much like my father."

Her eyes were wide with fear.

_You're going to die here_

"I'm not gonna kill you…" His words gave her no comfort.

"Now girlie, I know you like to kill, but enough is enough…" He laughed in his throat.

"You won't get to go on our next excursion, you'll stay here and do nothing, Ok _kid_?"

Crybaby looked away from him.

"LOOK AT ME!" He slapped her across the face.

She felt like she was going to cry, he saw it and snarled at her.

"Don't even…" He let her go.

"Get out of my sight." She felt around for the door knob and bolted out of the room.

_WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST DO!?_

The Joker sighed in the solitude of his office.

**I hurt her.**

Outside, Crybaby had locked herself in the shower room…

And for the first time since the cuts, she cried, to her amazement these stung far worse, than the ones that had salted her wounds.

Cry baby, cry baby, cry. Soaking down your face


	12. I Couldn't Kill Him

You could always kill him

_You could always kill him._

Crybaby sighed from her spot on the worn couch and wondered how many people could actually make their own blood boil.

_**That would be pointless.**_

_It would be better than sitting here doing nothing._

_**I'm not going to kill him.**_

_And why, pray tell, not? He deserves it! Think of all the people he's killed. All the children who lost a parent, all the husbands and wives with damage done to them. THINK ABOUT ANDY!_

…_**Who?**_

The Joker came busting in through the back door, ripping Crybaby from her thoughts.

He nodded at her.

"Hello, Crybaby, sleep well?"

_**I never slept, you renegade asshole.**_

"Quite well, sir."

The goons came in slowly, hauling a man in a black mask and cape.

This made her gasp.

"Is that, him, sir? The Batman?"

He rolled his eyes and looked at her like she was stupid.

"Pfffft, Nah. That isn't that batman, just some wannabe we picked up while putting a bomb in a judge's car."

Crybaby felt her eyes widen with interest.

"A car bomb, sir?"

The Joker flopped down on the couch next to her and nodded.

"Yep, oh-and we put acid in the police commissioner's booze."

Her jaw dropped.

_**I could never kill this man…he's just so… Marvelous.**_

"Geez woman, would you stop staring at me like that?."

She bowed her head, and let her hair hide her face.

She never noticed him leaning forward. He lifted her chin.

"You make me so nervous."

_Do it._

_Do it._

_ARE YOU BRAINDEAD? KISS HER!_

_YOU ASSHAT! KISS HIM!_

_DO IT!_

_DO IT, OR I'LL MAKE YOU HAVE A STROKE!_

"Hey boss!"

The two of them turned their heads and glared at the unnamed henchman.

"It's ready."

The Joker bit his lip and got up. She started gnawing on her bottom lip, as she watched him walk through to door way into the kitchen.

_You ass._

_**What did I do?**_

_It's what you didn't do._

_**Which is…**_

_Don't play the fool card here, he wanted to kiss you, EVEN I COULD SEE IT AND I'M JUST A FIGMENT OF YOUR IMAGINATION!_

_**Which reminds me, Can you go off and communicate with other people's figments of imagination?**_

_Why would you want to know a thing like that?_

_**I don't know I've just always wondered.**_

_You have not I would have known,…this is because you've been reading that Allan-John Bolland novel isn't it?_

…_**Yes.**_

…_Llet me try._

Crybaby felt a horrible headache coming on.

_**STOP!**_

_BUT IT WORKS!_

…_**really?**_

_I want you to take a nap._

_**Why? This is getting annoying.**_

_Okay fine then this is going to hurt._

_**Wait what's going to-**_

A pulse of Pain shot through Crybaby's spine and up into her brain. She screamed, and started convulsing on the floor.

She heard one of the goons yell out that there was "a situation in the main hall"

By the time they got to her she was catatonic.

About twenty minutes after The Joker was done filming his infamous Brian Douglas video, He passed out.

_Hello?_

_Hello._

_Who are you?_

_I'm Joseph's conscience, who are you?_

_I'm Annie's conscience._

_...You're Crybaby's inner voice?_

_Well I'm one of two, the other one is, you know…her thoughts._

_I'm the Joker's "Good side."_

Crybaby's conscience gasped.

_I am a huge fan._

_I know._

_Say…did you make him lean over to her like that?_

_No, that was all him, that idiot is attached to her but he doesn't want her._

_So he thinks of her like a "one-night-stand" type of deal._

_Oh no, he's crazy about her, he just doesn't want to get too attached because he doesn't want to have to go out for blood when she dies._

_Now hold on, who says she's going to die?_

_Think about it logically, she has talent, but very little training, and she'll be going up against people trained to kill._

_,Okay you know what? I didn't come here to argue with you about who lives and who dies, I came here to find out if he likes her, as much as she likes him._

_He does, he's a fool about it, and he has to keep his image up, but yes, he likes her._

_Okay, good, thanks, goodbye._

_Wait what about you?_

_What about me?_

_When will I see you again?_

If her conscience had been inhabiting a human body, it would have blushed.

_I don't know… I guess when they're sleeping._

_Right, see you tonight._

Crybaby snapped awake and screamed, it woke up the Joker who nearly jumped out of his skin. She was breathing very hard and shaking a little.

"Owwww." She cradled her head in her hands.

The Joker looked around at his goons.

"What the hell's wrong her?"

The goons shook their heads and watched her carefully waiting for her next move.

She got up, and abruptly fainted back onto the couch.. The Joker gave out an annoyed groan.

"Somebody get that bag of bones and wake her up, we need her for tonight."

One of the Goons looked at him stupidly.

"What happens tonight?"

The Joker sneered at him.

"Whut happuns too-night?" He mimicked the goon and slapped him.

"Tonight…" He said walking to a window that showed Gotham at daybreak.

"We go after Harvey Dent."

_**Ahhh… I'm so mad at my self for putting in that stupid conscience convo..**_

_**I'm an idiot.**_

_**Okay now so far I haven't begged for reviews but this story has gotten2780 hits, and six reviews. **_

_**Now I'm not going to beg, but I am going to ask.**_

_**Why don't you review? Don't be shy It'll help you relax.**_


	13. Oh, You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet

Crybaby rose, slowly from her spot on the couch and walked around the main hall aimlessly

Crybaby rose, slowly from her spot on the couch and walked around the main hall aimlessly. No one was there.

_**Damn it…they left without me.**_

_Teeheehee…_

_**What?**_

_I know something you don't know!_

_**And what is tha-**_

_**Ooooooooh my.**_

There was an old juke box in the corner of the room, it was raged and looked like the early nineties had spat it up.

It was glorious.

She sauntered over to the machine and examined it.

_**I think this could work!**_

_Oh here we go…_

The machine wasn't plugged in, so Crybaby decided to try and plug it up. This proved a mistake and the second the plug made contact with the outlet the box roared to life, sending out a chattery mixed message of Johnny Cash and Metallica. Crybaby jumped back with a start and let out a small yelp. The Joker came running in to see what the commotion was and abruptly ripped the plug out of the wall.

He turned to her with anger flooding his face.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you how curiosity killed the cat!"

She bowed her head.

"Sorry sir."

"Get up."

Crybaby felt an pang of fear and regret surge through her body. She stood slowly, expecting to get kicked back onto the floor or punched in the jaw.

"Are you alright?"

Her head popped up. He wasn't making eye contact with her, and he seemed to be directing his ear at her.

"Sir?"

His eyes snapped to her and he grabbed her shoulders.

"Are you hurt, girlie?"

"No sir, I'm fine."

He relaxed.

"Well then…" He licked his lips. "Go-uh go get your umbrella, we're going out."

Crybaby's eyes sparkled.

He gave her a grin.

"Oh yeah…We're going after Dent."

Crybaby looked like she was going to spontaneously combust with excitement.

"Now, don't get _too_ hyped up my dear… we got an errand to run first."

She gave him a confused look, then saw the goons hauling the fake batman out by a noose.

"You get to take care of that." He told her.

She looked at him wit a slight bit of concern.

"What exactly do you want me to do with it, sir?"

He leaned over her shoulder and whispered in her ear.

"I want you to take him… put him up on top of the city hall, and then I want you to push him…_hang him_…in front of the mayor's window, can you do that?"

She closed her eyes and nodded. Out of nowhere the Joker's tongue flicked out against her ear lobe and she gasped.

HE pulled back from her, appalled at his own actions.

"Just go-uh get your toy…and-uh…we'll go."

She backed away from him slowly and ran to get her umbrella.

It turned out hanging a dead man from the Top of City hall was not as easy as she thought it would be. This guy had no business dressing up in spandex he weighed as much as a horse. She stopped on the roof of the building to catch her breath.

_**This is WRONG**_

_What pushing a dead fat guy off a building troubles your morals but slicing some guy in half you have no problem with?  
__**NO! It's that I don't like hauling his fat ass up one-hundred and sixty-seven flights of stairs.**_

She dragged him over to the edge of the building and tied the end of the rope to the power generator.

_**Please dear God, don't let him rip that thing out of the building.**_

She lay down in front of him, her feet at his elbows and kicked with all her strength, to get him over the side. When he fell she let out a sigh of relief. Crybaby stood, brushed off the back of her dress and started to walk down the stairs, it mystified her that all the cops took the elevator without a second thought, but she believed it was luck, sheer luck.

She walked out of the building and went down the street to try and clear her head, when she saw it. A diamond necklace, in the window of a store, begging for her. It was easily worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and at the same time, it was completely free.

A salesclerk came and took it out of the window, and brought it to the counter. A young man was buying it for his girlfriend because her thought a ring wasn't her style. It saddened crybaby, and she made up her mind that she would have that necklace, or die trying to get it.

_You don't want the necklace…You want to be loved._

_**Shut up**_

_No, you listen, you need to understand that he's-_

_**I don't want to talk about it.**_

_But-_

_**I SAID I DON'T-**_

"HEY!" Crybaby turned her head and saw a goon yelling out the window of a DHL van.

"Get in."

She glared for being so blunt, then climbed in the passenger's side door.

"Took you long enough." The goon said to her roughly.

"Listen, I don't know who, you think you are-"

"I have the same station as you in that madman's organized anarchy."

"Oh?" She looked at him with pure unbridled hatred.

"Well I can assure you, that no matter how good you think you are, you can't kill like I can."

He looked at her and smiled.

"Doll face it, the only difference between you and me is I have a-

A knife wielding hand came through the small window that separated the truck from it's cargo bed, and impaled him through the temple. The van veer off the road and slammed into a light post outside the Wayne hotel. Crybaby heard a door slam and soon The Joker was outside her door.

"We're here."

There was one cop, who was not shot, but tasered into submission. They all stood in the cramped elevator and waited for the bell to ring. The Joker stared up at the ceiling of the box, willing the elevator music to stop. A couple goons checked their watches.

The lights on the elevator that indicated which floor they had reached drew nearer to the top.

"Get ready boys, its almost Showtime."

The goons put on their masks and started cocking their shotguns.

The doors opened.

"WE MADE IT!"

The Joker said pushing the stunned cop forward.

"Good evening, ladies and gentle men…we are tonight's entertainment!" He grabbed some shrimp and started to talk with his mouth full.

"I only have one question: Where is Harvey Dent?"

The room was quiet, Crybaby was standing in the middle of the room, swords at the ready, waiting for a fool.

HE grabbed a woman's champagne and tossed most of it out of the glass, but tried to drink it anyway.

"Do _you_ know where Harvey is? Do _you_ know who he is?"

She watched as he grabbed a man by the face.

"Do _you_ know where I can find _Harvey_? I need to talk to him about something; just something, little, huh?"

The man gave him no answer.

"No? You know, I'll settle for his loved ones."

An old man called out to The Joker

"We aren't intimidated by _thugs._"

_**There's a fool.**_

The Joker smacked his lips. And gave the old man an examining look.

"You know you remind me of my father…." He hit the Table next to them three times.

"And I HATED my father."

"Okay, stop."

It was a woman with mousy brown hair, and a dark blue dress.

The Joker took one look and sauntered over to her.

"Well hello beautiful…" He slicked his hair over to one side.

Crybaby suddenly began to panic.

_**Why is he calling her beautiful? Huh, **__**conscience? Tell me. WHY!**_

_I don't know._

Waves of jealousy crashed over her.

"You must be Harvey's squeeze…" The Joker started circling her like a vulture.

He stopped in front of her.

"Oh, you look nervous…Is it the scars? You wanna know how I got 'em?"

He grabbed her face keeping his knife inches away from her face.

"Come 'ere, look at me. See, I had a wife, and she was beautiful…like you, who tells me that I worried too much, who tells me that I ought to smile more, who gambles and gets in deep with the sharks. Hey, one day they carve her face. And we got no money for surgeries. She can't take it. I just want to see her smile again. Hm? I just wanted to let her know that I don't _care_ about the scars. So…I stick a razor in my mouth and do this…to myself." He motioned to his scars.

Crybaby started to get angrier and angrier.

_**WHY THE HELL DOES HE KEEP SAYING SHE'S BEAUTIFUL!?**_

_Maybe…he doesn't like scars. _

Crybaby let her guard down, and touched the divots in her face. Thinking about the day he called her beautiful, and how easily a man like that could lie.

"And you know what? She can't stand the sight of me! She _leaves_! But now, I see the funny side. _Now_, I'm always _smiling."_

The woman kneed him and he let her go, laughing while he did it.

"A little fight in you, I like that."

Out of know where, there he was…The Batman.

"Then you're gonna love me." It growled.

The Batman punched the Joker straight in the nose.

Crybaby was going to go after him but, then she saw it. The necklace from the store, was draped around a woman with long curly brown hair's neck. That woman looked familiar.

"Annie…" The woman said.

_**Who is that Woman?**_

…_I know her…I know her I know her I know her…you two were near each other a lot when you were children but I can't place her._

The woman suddenly looked irate and yelled out.

"What the HELL DID YOU DO TO MY KID SISTER!?"

The was a bang that ripped through the room.

Crybaby threw her attention to the Joker, who had "Harvey's Squeeze" hanging out a window.

The Batman roared: "LET HER GO!"

The Joker smiled and said,

"_Very _Poor choice of words." And let her fall out the window. The batman jumped after her, causing the Joker to look at Crybaby with an unbelieving expression and say:

"What and idiot!" He started to walk towards Crybaby.

The woman with the necklace started to come at him but the man who bought her the necklace grabbed her arms and stopped her.

"What did you do to her?!" She demanded of The Joker.

"Nothing she didn't know was going to happen to her." The Joker caressed Crybaby's hand.

The woman saw it, she stared directly at Crybaby and started talking at her.

"Annie, It's Tara, your sister, you can't let him do this. He killed Andy-"

Crybaby back handed her.

"I don't know who you are, nor do I care. I have only one family and you're looking at it."

The Joker put his hand on Crybaby's shoulder and smiled at Tara.

"You will _not _have her." Tara growled.

"I already do."

The goons collected everyone's jewelry and marched into the elevator.

"Thank You ladies and gentlemen you've been a wonderful audience, how about a round of applause for my assistants?"

No one applauded.

"Aw that's a shame, I wanted this party to go out with a bang"

He hopped in the elevator and pointed the shotgun straight up.

"Maybe I can compromise."

He shot up, snapping the lift cable and letting the elevator fall. Crybaby's hair whipped at her face, and she heard a few of the goons scream. The back up cables kicked in and dropped them off at the second floor. There was a mad dash to get back to the van.

"Sir, that was invigorating."

HE wiggled his eyebrows and laughed like a maniac.

"OH You ain't seen nothing yet!"

He started to drive the van backwards at high speed. His hand slipped off the shift stick and landed on her knee. She covered his hand with her own

The Joker licked his lips.

"Looks like I really _do_ have you."


	14. She's a Tough Girl, She Can Handle It

They got back to the compound and slept for a day

They got back to the compound and slept for a day. Crybaby was glad they got a small break, but The Joker had barely spoken to her since she grabbed his hand, and that hurt. That made both sides of her mind war with each other.

_**He doesn't love me**_

_He's crazy about you._

_**He's crazy on his own.**_

_Look I can't convince you that he does or doesn't, just…just try to get some sleep._

_**I'll try, but it probably won't work.**_

_No, you don't understand, if you don't, I'm going to make you have an "episode." You dig?_

_**Yeah, I dig.**_

_Good now get undressed and hop in bed._

_**It's nine o'clock.**_

_Unless you want to sleep here you'll do it._

_**Okay, okay, jeez you've been so pissy since last week.**_

_Yeah, well you haven't been sleeping._

She walked down the dilapidated hallways and into the bunkroom. She tried to go to sleep.

_**I can't sleep**_

_Close you eyes and count to ten._

_**One…two…thr-**_

Crybaby's mind went dark as her conscience drew it self out.

_Joe? Joe, are you there?_

_Yeah, where have you been, it's been almost a hour._

_I'm sorry she's just been so…blaah!_

_I understand completely, he's been driving me up a wall._

_Really? What's he told you?_

_He keeps insisting, that he doesn't love her, but he thinks about her all the time, not normal stuff like the way she looks or her laugh, but…he worries about her safety, he's very fond of her, he just doesn't want to say that he loves her._

_She'll be pissed if he says that._

_I know, It's getting ridiculous, he freaked out so much that night she grabbed his hand._

_She thought he loved her, since he hasn't spoken to her, she's started to lose it-_

_Isn't she already…you know…_

_No, not as bad as it could be, but still pretty bad, I'm here so that's proof of Stability._

…_So now that we have their feelings established…what do we do about ours?_

…_I don't know I haven't thought about it, I mean we're barely real, products of minds we belong to, I don't think we can do anything, unless…._

_Unless they do._

…_It's gonna be a long week._

_Mmmhmmm._

The next morning Crybaby woke up with a hangover. She would have given her conscience a few choice words, but it hurt to think.

She wandered aimlessly into the kitchen and grabbed a chair.

"Firewater is on the top self." She said quietly. The chair, was not nearly as sturdy as it had seemed and wobbled when she started to search for the "Wild Turkey." She saw it and made a grab for it, but once she had it she started to fall. Crybaby started to scream, but someone caught her. She found herself staring into the almost soulful eyes of The Joker.

He dropped her.

She didn't get up, they just stared at each other. Neither of them knew what to say.

He spoke first:

"Oh this ridiculous, we're acting like we had drunken sex." He giggled a slightly while he said it..

"It's not that funny." She said staring at the floor.

He got quiet.

"Why did you grab my hand?" The statement hung in the air like a stale wind.

"Why you'd put it on my knee?"

"Crybaby, don't play with me."

She let out a cold sigh.

"You, are my boss…" Her voice was trembling, she wasn't going to cry, but it was like she didn't want to talk to him at all.

" but I don't think about you…like you're my boss."

The Joker leaned back on the kitchen table, and scratched the side of his head.

"That's a problem." He said, directing his eyes towards her.

"I know."

He bit his lips.

"You'll have to stay here on the next job."

"_What?"_

He nodded and smirked at her.

"You have to stay here."

She gave him a disbelieving look.

"Why?"

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Brazen today, aren't we?"

He stood and got nose to nose with her.

"Do you have a problem?"

She remained silent.

He squinted at her a little bit and shook her shoulders softly.

"Are you…feeling …particularly down?"

She shook her head.

"No sir, I'm fine."

He nodded.

"Good, you an-uh watch our next job on the television."

She gave him a confused look.

"Sir?"

He licked his lips.

"We're taking down the mayor at …"

He thought for a minute, trying carefully to pick his words.

"_Ex-_Commissioner Loeb's funeral."

She was completely taken aback.

"But, sir, how?"

He shrugged.

"A simple game of dress up, and a few pawns ready to be taken."

She nodded.

There was an awkward silence.

"Well would you look at the time? I have to go get some new clothes…I'll-uh…see you later."

She looked at him and nodded again.

Crybaby felt like she was going to throw up, but didn't.

After she heard the door slam, she ran out into the recreation area, and turned the channel onto the coverage of Commissioner Loeb's funeral.

Crybaby's mind was silent as they watched with undying suspense.

Once the force and it's bagpipes were done marching down Main street to City Hall, the mayor got up to make his Eulogy.

"Commissioner Loeb, dedicated his life to law enforcement and the protection of his community. I remember when I took office, and I asked if he wanted to stay on as commissioner, he said, I'd rather die…Clearly, he is not a man who meant his words…A number of polices that he enacted as commissioner, were unpopular, and flooded my office with calls and angry letters. But of him we must remember that vigilance is the way to safety."

The Mayor finished and the Honor Guard prepared to make their shouts.

The Seven men, fired of the first round. She watched, looking for any sign of the Joker.

The Guard prepared to fire again.

She saw a sniper take aim at a window, and felt her heart soar…

_Everything…_was going to plan.

Two of the Honor guard turned and took aim at the platform.

She saw Lt. Gordon push the Mayor out of the way and take the hit.

All of the men scrambled around like mice, trying to get in buildings or take any shelter at on.

_**Gotham's brave my ass.**_

The newscast was cut and she stared at the Gotham News technical difficulties sign.

Crybaby hugged her knees.

_There's nothing you can do but wait, he'll be fine, just relax._

It took them four hours to get back to the compound, and she hadn't moved an inch.

"We're back, girl!"

She stood and whipped around.

"You had me worried, sir."

He wasn't wearing his make-up, and was still in uniform.

He was the most handsome thing Crybaby had seen in her life.

The Joker lifted her chin,

"You should have trusted me more."

She gazed up at him.

"I trust you, sir."

_SAY IT!_

_KISS HER!_

_TELL HIM HOW YOU FEEL NOW!_

_YOU ARE A JACKASS!_

…_**I love you. **_

She was willing with all her might for him to receive her telepathic message. It didn't work.

"That's good to hear." He walked off into his office, and she began mentally kicking herself in the head.

_YOU IDIOT!_

_I CAN NOT BELIEVE YOU! _The Joker's mind yelled at him.

_You think about this woman, A LOT, inappropriately even, and you won't even kiss her? What the HELL?_

**Okay, I like her, really I do, but you can't just force me to-**

_Wanna bet?_

**Look….she's a good girl and I don't wanna mess up her game.**

_She's a tough girl, and she can handle it-_

**What if she can't?**__

_Look, unless you act now she's gonna lose it….whats gonna happen if you get caught, and don't tell her? There's no way she'll just cozy up to a mob boss, no she wants you…and ONLY you._

**My point exactly, what if I do get caught, hmm? I can't have her jus rotting away waiting for me to get out. These people…might even kill me, now I know, and therefore you know, someone as hardcore as her would be a suicide waiting to happen.**

…_.what if….what if you die before you tell her?_

**Tell her what?**

_How much you care?_

For a moment, the Joker was unsure of what to think back.

**I'll tell her.**

_When?_

**I'll tell her before the next job.**

_Which means?!_

**I'll tell her when Batman comes out of the closet.**

_That could take ages!_

The Joker smirked at himself.

**Like you said, she's a tough girl. And she can handle it.**


	15. Please Help Me I'm So Scared!

In the next few days there was a press conference held over what the media had dubbed

In the next few days there was a press conference held over what the media had dubbed. "The Joker Killings". It put the Joker at a bit of unease. He didn't like it when thy made him sound like a serial killer…he had a lot more sense the Charles Manson. He, the goons, and Crybaby all watched in the recreation area with keen eyes.

When Hervey Dent took the stage and announced that The Batman had offered to turn himself in, The Joker got excited, sitting on the edge of his seat with his hands clasped in front of him. His enthusiasm was shot down when the called him a terrorist.

"The Batman is an outlaw." Dent said from the small television. "But that's not why we're demanding he turn himself in, we're doing it because we're scared. We've been happy to let the Batman clean up our streets until now-"

"Things are worse than ever!" Some one from the audience yelled out.

"…Yes they are." Dent agreed.

"The night is darkest just before the dawn…and I promise you…the dawn is coming. One day the Batman will have to answer for the laws he's broken…but to us, not to this madman."

The Joker let out a soft HA in the back of his throat.

Crybaby heard him mumble about not being mad.

"NO MORE DEAD COPS!" A policeman from the back of the room hollered up to him.

The other policemen started to cheer and a reporter cried out the Batman should turn himself in.

"…So be it." Dent said to the crowd.

"Take the Batman into Custody." The room was quiet and seething with confusion.

"I am the Batman."

The Joker, who had been taking a drink of scotch, suddenly choked, and spat his drink on the goon in front of him.

He started hacking.

"What….the….HELL?!"

Crybaby's reaction was that she had lurched forward and cried out that soylent green was people. This was a long forgotten expression from her childhood that meant that it was so painfully obvious that they should have seen it coming.

The police cuffed Harvey and lead him off camera.

One of the goons said calmly to another.

"Well would you look at that…"

There was a defined moment of quiet and stun that settled over the room.

Crybaby saw from the corner of her eye that the Joker was looking at her.

She connected her eyes to his.

"Sir?"

He smacked his lips.

"Well what do you think we should do?"

She looked at him, expecting some sort of blow or kick to the face, but to her surprise, he looked serious.

She wiped at her mouth like she was an alcoholic and started to speak.

"They'll be moving him, sir…to central, not county…tonight…it's a long drive, if you take the long way."

"And the short way?" He asked her.

Crybaby gave him a devious grin.

"It is _easily _corruptible."

The vaudevillian raised the corners of his mouth into a lecherous grin.

"Boys, lets get to it!"

It took some amount of time to load the truck they were planning to use. It was a carnival tractor-trailer that read Slaughter was number one in Family fun.

"Okay now listen to me, all of you. Me, Annie, and you four are going to take the _Fun_ truck, You'll be driving." He pointed to the oldest goon, who wore a cowboy hat.

"You two…" He pointed to the remaining goons, "…will be taking the garbage truck."

He looked at his wrist, where a watch should have been.

"We need to go."

_WAIT!_

**Oh god, don't you ever go away? **

_It's the next job, now tell her._

"Hey Crybaby!"

She had been getting in the truck but turned her head to look at him.

"Sir?"

He motioned for her to come over. Slowly, he backed around the corner of the building to wait for her. She walked over to find shadow. Crybaby started to become afraid, and she began to carefully make her way into the darkness.

"Sir?"

Two purple hands shot out of the night and pinned her to the wall.

"You listen to me, girlie, I don't know…What you've done to me but, I don't like it." He was using the same voice that he had used to talk to "Harvey's Squeeze" at Dent's fundraiser.

"Now, beautiful, I understand…that you females have a way of loving the alien, but, I won't have it!" She was looking at him with opened eyes, studying his face and just staring at him like a little kid, who'd just lost it's only friend in the world.

"You've got to learn, _NOT_ to take candy from strangers." He said, getting inches away from her face.

She had a strange expression on her face, like she was either going to scream for help or fall apart like a broken doll.

He grabbed a fist full of her hair and felt his mouth collide with hers. She wove her fingers through his grungy green hair and felt her knees grow weak. He wrapped his arm around her waist to support her. He broke away from her violently, a little taken aback, but pleased with what he'd done.

"..strangers have the best candy." She whispered her assessment to him in the dark. A flashlight was shown down their path. The light landed on her, and The Joker saw that her hair as in her face, and with her eyes as wide as they were, she looked a lot like Sissy Spacek in Carrie. He _loved _it.

"Uhm, Boss-"

"What?" He spat at the goon,

"They've just left the station."

"Well, then go start the trucks, we'll be right out." He let his word drip with venom.

The goon looked a little scared and confused ,but soon went back to the trucks. Crybaby and The Joker heard the trucks start.

"We are not to speak of this, to them, got it?"

She nodded

"It's nobody's business but our own."

The ride to the upper fifth was a very different experience. They were all crammed into the Trailer, with a pile of weapons in front of them, sitting in silence. It felt like they were all on their way to their own execution.

The Joker handed her a phone.

"It's dialing the fire department, now pretend to be in distress."

She spoke softly and looked to him.

"Where is the fire, sir?"

"The upper fifth."

Crybaby took a deep breath.

"911 Emergency-"

She cut off the operator.

"Oh my god please you have to send help!" She cried in the trailer.

"What is your situation?"  
"My car-MY CAR IS ON FIRE AND I'M STUCK IN IT!"

"Ma-am what is your location?"

"I..I DON"T KNOW- I-I THINK- I think I'm at where the upper and lower fifth meet, but I don't know!"

She started to cry.

"Please help me I'm so scared!"

"Ma'am help is on the way."

"Th-th-thank you!- AH!"

She composed her self and clicked the phone shut.

"I hate it when I have to cry." She said wiping at the tears at the corner of her eyes.

The Joker was staring at her.

"I didn't know you had it in you."

"You'd be surprised what I got in me."

She realized instantly after she said it, that it had been incorrectly worded and a few goons started to try and suppress their laughter.

The Joker glared at them.

"You know what she meant, now get that vulgarity out of your mind or get OUT OF MY TRUCK!" His sudden outburst provoked silence on the trailer. The Joker leaned up against the side of the trailer.

"Fire-truck is almost here. STOP THE TRUCK!" The semi screeched to a halt in front of the Fire Engine.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY THERE'S A FIRE!"

The Joker yanked open the door and yelled back.

"Correction you're the fire."

He was handed what was dubbed "The really big gun" (It had been a prototype stolen from Stark Industries a while back when Wayne Enterprises was in a freeze due too Bruce Wayne going missing) and shot off one of it's rockets into the Fire-trucks engine.

Seven Men and a puppy all bolted off the Fire-Truck before it exploded. The Firemen ran off in different directions and the puppy came trotting towards The Joker. It bewildered him for a minute. He wasn't going to shoot it, I mean he did have a puppy when he was a kid…for a bout three seconds until his Dad took it to the pound. A piece of flaming debris came flying at the puppy. The Joker grabbed it and hopped back in the truck. He handed it to Crybaby and when she looked at him with quizzical eyes he simply said:

"Office Pet."

She looked at the canine said "hmm" and sat down in the corner of the trailer with it.

The trailer lurched backward and they pulled down in the lower fifth and began to wait.

A puppy was a good way to kill time. The Dalmatian had been named Bomber and he was quite friendly.

The Joker watched the puppy spectacle with disgusted eyes. Evil men and serial killers is what he had associated himself with and one puppy turned them all into ten-year olds.

The oldest goon with a cowboy hat called in from the Cab of the Truck.

"Boss, They're here."

All attention was diverted from Bomber and set on the mission.

"Crybaby I want you to stay there and hold on to Bomber, if he falls out he'll die." The Joker commanded her. She held on to the dog and nodded. It started licking her face and removing her make-up.

They started to move forward and she heard the goons with the Garbage truck do as much damage as they could, rear ending the SWAT car so the Semi could hit it.

The T-boned it and sent it into the river. The Semi pulled up in the opposite lane, cars swooping by and horns blaring, trying not to hit the truck. The door on the trailer slid open and the Joker started shooting at the SWAT Team's armored car with an automatic pistol. It made large dents but, did not achieve the desired effect. The Joker sneered and grabbed a shot gun, it made lots of little gathered dents.

Crybaby could tell he was starting to get pissed off.

The SWAT car tried to fall back, but the Garbage truck pushed it forward.

"Hand me that one!" He yelled pointing at "The really big gun".

He shot out the back of the Police cruiser in front of the SWAT car. He reloaded it and shot it in the same spot. The car's back popped up and it started to slide on it's side.

Crybaby peered out just in time to see the car pop, and thought wildly for a minute it looked rather like a satanic pimp mobile.

The Joker leaned out of the Truck to see the Batman's tank flying behind the garbage truck. It rammed it from behind, getting it's back two wheels off the ground, and grinding the garbage can retriever against the roof of the tunnel. The Bat-Tank ground to a halt and let the Garbage truck roll off. .

The Joker made a small hmm noise, and leaned back in.

"Okay boys, the bat wants to play."

The Joker grabbed "TRBG" and aimed carefully, allowing for air, and target movement.

He let out a sinister cackle and shot. Then something amazing happened.

The Bat-Tank sped up, and then _jumped in front of the rocket's path,_ sending an array of dirt, and grime into the Trucks windshield. The Tank caught fire and started to spin out of control, and even flipped a few times. In front of them the SWAT car holding Harvey Dent "The Batman" Did a power slide and turned out for a detour.

The Joker was getting _very_ angry.

"This is starting to become, no laughing matter." He snarled at his goons as he climbed out of the parked Semi's trailer.

"Girl, follow me." She picked up Bomber and followed him into the cab.

"Harvey, Harvey, Harvey, Dent- Excuse me, I want to drive."

He said to himself pushing the oldest goon onto the road.

The Joker started to pull up along side the SWAT car again, singing to himself as he did it, just as it turned out onto the city streets.

"I like this job-I like it." The Joker growled.

"What about you Crybaby? You enjoy getting shot at and almost dying almost everyday?"

She smirked a little.

"Like I said, sir, Strangers have the _best_ candy." She replied to him.

He looked at her for a split second.

"Atta girl."

He grabbed his walkie-talkie.

"Ooookaaay, rack 'em up, Rack 'em up, Rack 'em up."

Crybaby looked to the skies with suspenseful eyes as she search for a sign that the goons had "Strung up the Christmas lights."

The Air support got caught in the wires and started to spin out of control.

Crybaby grinned like a maniac and started to giggle wildly. The tail of it carved into the windows of a sky scraper and she began to laugh with an absurd amount of joy. It hit the ground and she watched it combust and hit the SWAT car.

She sighed a little with depression.

"What's wrong with _you_?" The Joker asked surprised, she hadn't gone mad with joy upon seeing it catch flame.

"It reminded me of when I was a child, my cat had these kittens…" She started to cry a little.

"And my father took me out to a lake to drown them."

He stared at her with one eyebrow raised.

"We were in the boat and he tossed one out, and I started to cry

…I COULDN'T MAKE THEM SKIP!"

The Jokers bit down on his lip.

"Pffffffft HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

She started laughing with him.

He started to wind down and giggle softly.

There was a minor explosion and Crybaby leaned out the window to she what it was.

She heard the joker say from inside the Cab.

"Now, _there's _a Batman."

"What in hellfire?" Crybaby whispered to herself upon observing the Batman's new toy.

She felt someone grab the back of her dress and pull her back in the cab.

"Where'd he go?" She asked stupidly

He showed up on the Joker's side of the Cab.

"OH you wanna play? Come on."

Bomber started to whimper and crawled under Crybaby's arm. She tried to comfort the puppy by rubbing his ears.

There was a loud bang and Bomber yelped in surprise. The Joker watched as the Bat-pod threaded a figure eight path under the truck.

"He missed!" The Joker yelled ludicrously to Crybaby, who felt a small lump in the pit of her stomach.

The Truck raised up, and Crybaby took a deep gasp and held on for dear life to that puppy as the truck flipped over. She looked over to the Joker, who was resting on his shoulders. Crybaby craned her neck, to try and see him,

"Sir are you alright?"

"Joe Kerr isn't here right now, may I take a message?" He twisted himself out of the Cab while he said it and climbed out the broken window with a groan. She twisted around and held Bomber to her chest as she slowly backed out of the truck. Once she was out she heard screeching tires, she saw that Dent's SWAT car had come to a Halt. There was a loud bang, she whipped around to see that The Joker, and accidently shot the ground and was picking himself up.

"Crybaby…_RUN!_"  
"I'm not leaving you here, sir!"

He shot at a car that was coming towards him.

"There is a letter on my desk for you, GO BACK AND READ IT!"

"Sir, I'm NOT leaving."

"BITCH I SAID RUN!"

She was taken a back, but did as she was told and ran off with Bomber down an alley way.

She looked back at the Joker, to find he was still shooting cars.

Crybaby took a minute to talk herself into believing he was going to be okay, and started to run back to the compound. There was a plastic bag on the ground, she stretched out and used as a leash on Bomber.

She managed to get home, unseen, and very cold.

She turned on the TV and poured Bomber some Beef Stew, which in the Goon's opinion had tasted like Dog Food.

She kicked off her shoes and started to walk to The Joker's office. There was the letter she had been told about waiting for her. She walked in carefull, staring at it like it was full of Anthrax and poisoning the all the air in the room. She picked it up and opened it carefully. Some car keys fell out.

_Crybaby,_

_I am going to be caught. I need you to be my lawyer._

_Steal some business-y clothes and make your self look normal and come by the MCU._

_Say you know nothing about me and all you do know is that you're getting paid and that's all you care about. Do me a favor, don't wear purple or grey. You're still a missing persons, you're sister is an unreliable source according to the police, so all you have to do is not look like you, a little bit, and that's it. And try to keep a straight face. Take the green BMW, it's faster than those high heels you like so much._

_-Joker_

_P.S. Pick me up a CD while you're out. I like lots of stuff, but no Spears._

She stared at the letter, admiring his audacity. She whistled for Bomber, who came running like a loyal dog.

"Hey there…" She said.

Bomber rolled over.

"Boy, yes you are a boy. You wanna go for a walk?"

The puppy chased his tail then looked up at her, as if to say

"Yeah, let's go."

"Well okay then."

She grabbed the keys and started to walk to the Garage.

_**/--"" "" "" "" "" ""--\**_

_**One: I hate writing kissing scenes, I would really love it if you guys reviewed, those of you who did , kudos! I promise to repay you somehow.**_

_**Two:**_ _**And the whole puppy thing? That was done because I thought: A puppy? how ridiculous.., I love it. **_

_**Three: HOORAY FOR NOT NEARLY AS MUCH MIND ARGUING! I didn't think I could do it but LOOK! Only THREE LINES OF DIALOUGE inside a brain!! HAHA! I've also had about six cups of coffee so… review. **_

_**Goodbye,**_


	16. I Shouldn't, But I Do

The station was going crazy from the inside out. News of The Joker's capture was sending shock-waves, along with the news the Jim Gordon was alive and well...and the new commissioner. She strode in her umbrella at her side and Bomber in a leather dog carrier. Petroleum jelly, when smoothed over her face and covered in power concealed her scars. When she looked at her self in the mirror, Crybaby didn't know who was looking back. She peered over her over-sized sunglasses at the sight with a criticizing glare.

"Can I help you, Ma'am?" A voiced called from behind her.

She turned around to see a young man, about twenty-five, in a sweater vest looking like a six-year old who had just received the bike he asked Santa for. Crybaby removed her sunglasses and grinned at him.

"I do believe you, can, I'm looking for my client, a mister…" She took a piece of paper out of her suit's pocket.

"Joe Kerr."

The young man's smile faded.

"You mean the Joker ma'am?"

She gave him a quick nod.

"Yes I do."

This made him look distressed, turning the kid with a bike, into a kid afraid he'd get stuck with a lot of coal.

"Why would you want to see that freak?"

Crybaby felt her eye twitch, and she sternly said.

"I'm _that freak_'s lawyer."

The young man looked ill.

"You-Uhm shouldn't have that dog in here."

"I shouldn't, but I do." She sat in a wooden chair, across from what she presumed to be was his desk.

"I'd like to speak to him, now if that's possible."

The young man shot a few daggers at her.

"It isn't."

She cocked her head and gave him a playful eye.

"Don't the Miranda rights clearly state, that he has the right to an attorney."

He placed his hands firmly on his desk and leaned over to try and make his message clear.

"That monster doesn't deserve his rights." He pat to her.

She grinned at him and retorted:

"But he still has them."

The young man sneered, which for a moment made him look like Billie Idol and caused Crybaby to giggle slightly.

He grabbed his desk phone and tapped his foot impatiently while he waited for someone to pick up.

"Commissioner Gordon, I've got a girl up here who wants to see the Joker…no I don't think it's the Dispiacere we haven't found her yet…"

She tuned in on the Dispiacere. It was a word that meant Sorrow in Italian. She felt a little flattered

"Well she says she's his Lawyer…one sec…"

He covered the receiver and turned his head to her.

"What firm are you from?"

Her eyes popped for a split second.

"I'm free lance…I recently got fired."

The young man raised an eyebrow at her.

"I was _too_ aggressive."

He gazed at her wryly, and she rolled her eyes and said:

"I know how it looks, and I went out to see some old friends from the firm, to show them the new dog, and when I got home, there was a letter on my coffee table, that said to come here and represent Joe Kerr."

"Hmm." The man said.

"Did you get that, Commissioner?" The man sighed.

"Alright you can go see him." She stood and let him lead her down the corridors to the holding cells.

It sickened her that he was in this place. Sitting among common ciminals that had no purpose in what they did. No message to send, No point in committing the Crimes.

"Good Evening Sergeant Montague." The Joker said when the two of them set foot in the room.

"Your Lawyer's here." The man said dryly.

The Joker gave him what people in the South call "The Weird Eye".

"Lawyer?" He questioned his statement in a mocking tone.

Crybaby walked in front of Montague nudging him roughly, her black snake-skin stilettos clicking against the concrete.

"Ohhhhh Lawyer!" The Joker said getting up and leaning on the bars.

"I thought you'd never come." He said smirking at her, tliting his head slightly so that he could only see her clearly through one eye.

He grabbed her hand and shook it in an exageratted manner, a procedure that she used to give him his favorite knife.

"What can I say? I need a new pair of shoes." She replied blatantly.

He snorted at this.

"Those do look rather…_expensive…_" He articulated carefully back to her, drawing out the "o" in do to try and score a laugh.

"I got them for free." She remarked bleakly.

He raised his eyebrows in an "Oh Really" expression.

"Now let's get down to business." She said taking a seat across from him.

A man with gray hair and a brown trench-coat entered the holding cell.

"Interrogation time, let's go."

Crybaby pretended that she was extremely angry and awarded him a disapproving look.

"Excuse me, but this man is my client, we haven't had time to discuss his defense-"

"I have a feeling, it's going to be "not-guilty-by-reasons-of-insanity", come on." He said hauling the Joker to his feet.

"I'm sorry doll -face but I have to go."

She almost smiled at the words, and pretended that he had insulted her, and scowled at him.

"Cute dog, by the way."

They started to lead him out with his hands behind his back.

"What's his name?" He said laughing crazily.

The heavy door slamming behind him prevented her from answering.

"Unless you want to stay in there, _Doll-face_ I suggest you come with me." Sergeant Montague snapped at her, mocking the pet-name the Joker had given her

She stood, not saying a word to Montague, and with all the grace she could muster walked out of the room.

When they reached the top of the stairs they couldn't find anyone

"Where did they all go?" She blazed the sentence at him

"They're watching your boyfriends interrogation, gees you really _are_too aggressive."

She turned around and slapped him.

He looked up at her smirking, wiping the blood from his busted lip and said.

"Did you just assault an officer?"

"No, I just slapped the fly that kept buzzing in my ear." She sneered at him while she spoke.

He glared at her again, and they sat at his desk in silence.

"What is the Dog's name?" Montague tried to make small talk with her.

"Pongo." She bit the name to him with edge. If he didn't get she hated him, by now, he was a complete idiot.

Montague smirked again, making Crybaby become increasingly annoyed with him.

_**Yep you're gonna die.**_

_I agree he's tearing on my nerves._

She heard a loud, dull slamming noise come from the direction of the interrogation room.

"What was that?" She asked with agitated concern.

"Nothing, your client just getting what's coming to him." Montague said toying with a pen.

…**_ATTACK! _**Her thoughts were raving to her and she felt a small headache coming on.

She didn't act upon it and she heard Bomber begin to whine.

"Relax Pongo, it'll all be over soon." She said with a hint of loving nature, to the small and lively creature.

Montague stared at her inquisitively.

"Now how do you know that?"

Several people began to run through the office and start dialing numbers on their black desk phones. She avoided the question by trying to start a ew topic of conversation.

"I see that the Batman case is becoming as conclusive as the Mayor says." She commented on the corkboard behind Detective Wuertz's desk.

A sound of cracking glass echoed in Montague's quiet.

"You know with all that noise, it sounds like he could press assault charges." Crybaby told him

"Hm." was his reply.

People came pouring out of the interrogation room's observation area and scrambled around even more frivolously than when she had arrived. If Crybaby had turned her head just in time, she would have seen the Batman running out of the building at breakneck speed, with Commissioner Gordon and a slew of officers in his wake, but she didn't she just stared at Montague, her eyes watching, waiting, like some sort of cobra waiting for the right moment to strike. It clearly unnerved him, and made him shift his weight where he sat. This bizzarre display went on, until paramedics came running through and bumped into her chair, distracting her from her task.

"Sorry miss." The one who had bumped her said.

"Oh it's no problem." Crybaby said politely to him.

Montague glowered at her from behind his computer.

"What did you say you name was?" He asked, looking over his glasses.

"I didn't."

The statement was meant to inflict fear and silence. When it didn't work she cast him the coldest look she had.

That did the trick. He quieted and began to figit about his desk, tapping pencils and playing solitaire, anything he could think of to calm his nerves.

She heard a choking sound from behind her,then saw Montague's eyes go wide with fear. She assumed that The Joker had a hostage, by the way everyone started to scream incoherently.

"Why Officer Montague, you look nevous…" She said looking up at him from her chair, her eyes widening with excitement.

Across town Commissioner Gordon was telling a man driving his Police Cruiser to hop the Curb,

"Wait a minute, PEIRCE!" He yelled over the sirens to the officer that was driving.

"YES, SIR?"

"Did You see if that Lawyer girl was carrying an Umbrella!?"

"Yes, sir she was-"

"...Oh my god." Commissioner Gordon said leaning his right elbow against the window and wiping his face with his hand.

"What, sir, what does that mean?"

"Why would she need that? IT HASN'T BEEN RAINING!"

Peirce's eyes widened with realization.

"Oh shit."

Gordon grabbed the Radio and yelled into it:

"WE NEED A UNIT TO GO BACK TO THE MCU ASAP THE LAWYER IS THE DISPIACERE I REPEAT THE LAWYER IS THE DISPIACERE!"

Back at the MCU Montague was staring down at Crybaby in confusion. She clawed at her face to get as much of her make up and the petroleum jelly as she could off.

"…Is it my scars?" she breathed out in a raspy voice, trying to be a bit more edgy than she really was.

Montague began to panic. He pulled out his gun and started to shake it at The Joker

"WHAT DO YOU WANT!?" He yelled to the two of them

Crybaby turned her head to The Joker.

"What do you want, sir?" She asked the purple-clad racketeer, sounding like a waitress.

The Joker licked his lips.

"…I just want my phone call." He said.

Montague fumbled around in his coat pocket and tossed him his cell phone. The Joker dialed a number and put it up to his ear.

"You might want to pick up that dog." He told Crybaby with a bored tone.

She nodded and picked up Bomber and started to walk towards him.

A loud BOOM echoed through the MCU with the accompaniment of a large blast that almost knocked Crybaby off her feet. Bomber yipped and tried to hide in the crook of her arm. The Joker dropped his hostage and hit Crybaby across the Back of the Head. She groaned with out opening her mouth.

"_That_ was for taking so long." He said walking past her and heading for the door.

She smiled.

"Always good to have you back, sir."

She grabbed her things and followed him out the door at a brisk pace.

He had snagged a police Cruiser and was waiting for her in the parking lot

He ran his tongue along his top row of teeth, and clicked his tongue out of habit.

"So what'd you get me, _Doll-face_?"

She smiled at him and handed him a CD case that looked like crumpled paper, with the word "If" on it, with some blood splatter at the bottom of the "f".

"What _is_ this?" He asked her with ridiculing eyes.

She didn't tell him, and only said:

"Track three."

He felt like hitting her again for being that blunt, but held back and swore to her that if he hated it he would kill her.

She smiled and said she knew.

_**Who the hell said any of you get a taste stupid?  
Do you ever wanna get up all in your face?  
You better take it  
And nothin' you can do could make me ever go away  
Fake it  
Poor baby I'm gonna make it all okay**_

_**Punch your lights out  
Hit the pavement  
That's what I call entertainment  
Causin' problems makes you famous  
All the violence makes a statement  
Punch your lights out  
Hit the pavement  
That's what I call entertainment  
Causin' problems makes you famous  
ALL-THIS-VIOLENCE-MAKES-A-STATEMENT**_

_**/"""""""\\\\**_

**_grrrrrr I just over hauled this chapter, because I realized it sucked about as bad as the Wickerman remake. _**

**_I really really really didn't want to say he'd given her a pet-name , and I hate myself for even putting it in there, but I was in a writer's block with out it, and had to ask my beta's _****_((who are in no way realted to this site what-so-ever))_****_to vote and they all said do it._**

**_Tell me what you think. I'd like to pass the 100 review mark, but that's up to you guys... _**

**_PLease help._**


	17. Like I Said, I'm A Man Of My Word

The song, and it's relevance to the situation had turned the Joker into a bombastic lunatic

The song, and it's relevance to the situation had turned the Joker into a bombastic lunatic. While he was driving he was leaning out the window laughing and screeching and telling her to "turn it the hell up". It wasn't the first time that Crybaby had been scared for her safety with him, but it was a lot worse than being in a free falling elevator. It was by no small miracle that the cruiser was still intact when the reached the base after numerous cars, trees, and a lamppost and collided with the front fender. Crybaby literally fell out of the car, and started to crawl up the drive way. Bomber jumped over her and rushed to the nearest patch of dirt to roll around, happy to be back on land again. The Joker climbed out like a celebrity getting out on the red carpet.

"What's your problem?" He asked her, leaning over the (very smashed) hood of the cruiser.

She slowly gained her balance again and hauled herself to her feet.

"I'm fine, sir, just a little dizzy."

"Well get, up, this evening calls for…a little magic." His words ran through her mind and Crybaby began to silently distress over which eye she was going to lose. She followed him, up and into the compound, and was relieved to find that "Magic" consisted of building a bonfire.

"Sir, if I may ask, Why all this? That's the purpose of it?" She asked him, while pouring kerosene on a pile the scrap wood. He handed her an ornate glass bottle and told her:

"Why not?"

After saying this he walked past her and lit the bonfire. Crybaby couldn't help but smile at him in the dark.

Almost two hours later they were dancing around the fire in their drunken stupor.

"WE'RE DAMNED AFTER ALL! THROUGH FORTUNE AND FLAME WE FALL AND IF YOU CAN'T STAY, THEN I'LL SHOW YOU THE WAY AND RETURN FROM THE ASHES YOU CALL!" The two of them hadn't really been singing, they'd been yelling as loud as they could and trying to sound in key. They'd failed.

"WE ALL CARRY O-WHA-HA!" The Joker called out as they crashed into each-other.

He grabbed her shoulders.

"You …have a _wonderful_ singing voice!" He growled to her.

She smiled and started to giggle uncontrollably,

"Sir, you always bring out the absolute worst in me." He let him self fall to the ground, and pulled her down with him, laughing all the way.

"I should hit you for that, really I should, but….I won't." She stared at him confused.

"Because I'm just _such _a generous guy!"

He started to laugh and she tried her best to suppress her own guffaws.

She flopped back in the grass and looked up at the sky. The Joker was tempted to lay back with her, but didn't and watched he light play on her face.

"You are one craaaaaaazy little girl, you know that Crybaby?" He asked her taking a swig of scotch.

"Sir, I am what you made me." She replied, propping herself up on her elbows.

"OH? And what is that?" he queried.

"Fearless." The word resounded in his ears like a cracking of glass.

He began to laugh at her.

"OH that's good, that's fantastic, you…" he paused to catch his breath.

"You…should really look into stand up." He finished, tipping the bottle back again.

She stuck her tongue out at him, and stared into the fire.

After several minutes of silence had passed, The Joker asked her What she was thinking about so hard.

"I want to know the truth, is all!" She said back dramatically.

"I wanna know, how you got those scars." She poked his arm, like it was some sort of torture that was going to make him talk.

He looked at her and flicked his tongue out to the corner of his mouth.

"You sure you want to know?"

She nodded enthusiastically.

"Well…my mother was the drinker, and _she_ was a right loon. My dad, left because of her constant boozing." He looked at Crybaby, to see that she was hugging her knees and studying him with those Sissy Spacek bug eyes he loved so much.

"That's a bummer, man, I'm sorry." She said, not blinking.

"Ah no, Drunken people don't even remember anything most of the time. So then she sent me to live with my aunt, who was a prostitute, and locked me in a trunk when she had clients over."

"Oh wow, that's something special."

"Aaaaaaaand then I fell in love with a woman who died in an electrical accident WHILE she was pregnant with my baby, and –here comes the good part- I carved myself up like a Christmas Turkey because I couldn't stand myself!" He finished, cracking his neck.

Crybaby didn't know how to respond.

"…life sucks." She stated firmly before falling back to he ground. She stared at the Sky, pondering time-travel, and hatred of me, then fell asleep, finding it all to be too heavy to think about at the time.

The next morning she woke up on the recreation room couch to see the goons back, and surrounding a Chinese man, who was tied to a chair.

She groggily looked at The Joker, who was leaning in the door way, eating an apple.

"Izzat Lao, Sir?" She stumbled over her words in midst of her Hangover.

The Joker nodded and continued to chew while he talked.

"Yes it is, funny thing happened last night, we forgot him. Personally I blame you." He said coming over to worn old chair next to the couch.

"I knew you would, sir, I'm sorry I caused you trouble." She told him. He closed his eyes to her and gave a small nod.

"I forgave you, so I sent my men out to fetch him for us, seeing as we were preoccupied last night."

Crybaby rolled her eyes up to stare at the ceiling.

"Sir, I don't remember anything." She said sitting up.

"I thought you wouldn't you my dear, were _very_ inebriated." He got up and began to pace around her like a big cat about to pounce.

"It's eleven, and you've slept through so much, already." The Joker said, tossing her umbrella at her stomach.

"We're meeting the Chechen in an hour, be alert." He whispered to her coldly and walked out of the room. She sneered at his back and carefully got up.

_**High-Noon sun is gonna suck balls.**_

_I do not approve of that language AT ALL, but you're right…it is._

The meeting with The Chechen was one of the most difficult things for Crybaby to pull off, since the joining the Joker's team. She had to wear an old pair of Ray-bans to keep him from noticing she was hung-over. The Joker had told her to wear them, for fear that she would seem, _unprofessional_. The meeting was set in the old ocean liner, where the team had taken the liberty to hide all of their money, and "random things of use" as the Joker call them. Everyone else called it junk.

Lao was hauled up to the top of one of the piles of money then had his knots checked by the Joker himself..

The Chechen came in, men and dogs in tow, chewing gum, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"You're so crazy as you look." He said stepping to the base of the giant mountain of money.

"I told you, I'm a man of my word." The Joker replied, jumping and sliding down the money. When the Joker, regained his balance he looked around and asked with open arms,

"Where's the Italian?"

When The Chechen didn't answer, The Joker grabbed a stack of bills and threw it up to hit Lao in the face.

"All that money…" The Chechen said.

"What you do with all your money…let your woman, spend it?" He continued, laughing slightly and lit up a cigar.

The Joker's expression showed that he was slightly annoyed with the comment, but the Chechen either didn't notice, or didn't care.

"You see I'm a guy of simple tastes…I enjoy-uh dynamite, and gun powder and…Gasoline!" The Joker said backing up towards the money. He motioned to Crybaby with the hand that held his gun,

"So does my woman."

Crybaby smiled at the statement and wiggled her fingers at The Chechen in a mocking wave.

When the Joker returned his hand to his side, the Goons began to pour gas on the money mountain with Lao on top of it.

"What's this?" The Chechen said, growing angry and take steps forward. Crybaby was between them in an instant, pointing the umbrella's tip at the Chechen's Adam's Apple.

"Ha-tut-tut-tut" The Joker said.

"At ease, my dear." Upon his command Crybaby lowered her weapon and stepped aside.

"And you know what they have in common?" He said taking a step towards the Chechen, and took his cigar.

"They're Cheap."

"What are you doing?" The Chechen said softly The Joker.

"Like I said, I'm a man of my word…" He smacked his lips.

"I'm only burning _my_ half. "

The Joker blew on the lit end of the cigar, then threw it on the gas covered money. It went up in flames. The Chechen watched with greedy and sorrowful leys as it burned.

"All you care about is money. This town deserves a better class of criminal, and I'm gonna give it to 'em. …" He told The Chechen this calmly, but with the same hint of anarchist brand anger he always used.

"Tell your men they work for me now." He said pointing the business end of his gun into the Chechen's shoulder.

"This is _my_ city."

The Chechen started to shake his head and grin like it was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard.

"They will never work for a freak… a freak and his whore."

"Ooooooh a frrreeak?" The Joker asked him, mocking his accent.

"Why don't we get my _whore_ as you called her –which let me tell you was a bad move- cut you up in to little pieces, and feed you to your pooches, and then we'll see how loyal a hungry dog really is" He growled at The Chechen as he was lead away from behind by the goons.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone.

"It's not about money, It's about sending a message." He said to himself as started to dial. As Crybaby, stalked into the room where they were holding The Chechen, she heard him state matter-of-factly to himself.

"Everything, Burns."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Shut up I'm watching his." Crybaby said as she began choking the man she as sent to kill.

_Who is this?_ The talk-show host asked.

"I had a vision…" The Jokers voice rang through the speakers, and Crybaby smiled, then drug one side of the sword across the Chechen's chest. She heard him inhale, like he was going to scream again.

"If you do… that'll only make it worse."

"Of a world without batman." The Joker continued.

"The mob tried to ground out a little profit and the police shut them down one block at a time, and it was so…boring." She could hear him ranting in on in the other room. Crybaby began to start digging in the wound she made and spooning it out. The Chechen made no noise, and she looked down to discover that he had passed out.

"I've had a change of heart. I don't want Mr. Reese spoiling everything, but why should I have all the fun? Let's give someone else a chance, If Coleman Reese isn't dead in sixty minutes, then I blow up a hospital." The Joker started to laugh, and the TV personality removed his ear piece and started calling for the stand-by signal. Crybaby stared down at the unconscious Chechen with disgust. She turned around to the new goons and said.

"Gentlemen, do any of you have a grudge against this man? Because this…." She gesticulated at the Chechen's body.

"Isn't fun at all."

The men stayed quiet.

"No takers? Oh well." Crybaby dropped the blade in his throat and moved it forward and back like a lever. She quite didn't decapitate him, but only because the blade wouldn't go through his spine. She turned him into a Pez dispenser.

"You guys were great, no really give yourselves a pat on the back." She said to them, wiping the blood off her sword with the Chechen's jacket and walking out of the room. The money had burned astoundingly fast, she almost couldn't believe it, Lau was in the middle of it all burned, bleeding, and groaning.

"Keep quiet." She said kicking him in the ribs.

There was a trail of light that shone across Lau's mangled face. Her eyes traced the light to a door that had hardly been cracked open. She silently debated whether or not she should peer inside. She decided on peering and snuck forward to look. As her eyes adjusted to the light in what she thought was once a community shower (the women's community shower judging by the amount of mirrors)and she saw something she wished she hadn't. There was the Joker , shirtless, pulling a white nurse's dress over his head. She spun her back to the wall on the left of the door, trying to forget what she'd seen.

_**That is going to be so distracting!**_

_I know …Now look again that was hot._

The door opened and Crybaby was yanked inside. The Joker held her to the wall by her throat.

"Do you _like_ to look at men in dresses, or am I just special like that?" He wasn't wearing his make-up and that distracted her to the point that all Crybaby could say was:

"I'm sorry, Sir, I was a peeping tom in a past life."

He stared at her with a bored expression and dropped her to the floor.

"You know why am I not surpri-would you quit staring at me, you're making me self conscious!" The Joker stuck his leg out and put his hand on his hip, like a woman angry at her spouse.

"You're a very attractive woman, Sir." Crybaby said trying not to burst into a fit of laughter.

"I know. Now, come help me put this wig on!" He turned on his heel and walked back to the wall of mirrors.

She rose and walked over to where he was. He was brushing his hair and holding it up for her. She took the wig (which she thought might have supposed to be a red head) and started to fold his hair up on top of his head. She placed it on his head and started to carefully put the chlorine green blonde stray hairs in place under the wig. He reached up and grabbed her hand and put it to his lips, in a very soft almost non-existent kiss.

It frightened her.

"You're a hot mess." He said looking at her bright blue eyes. He wasn't looking in them, he was looking _at_ them.

"This is your one and only chance… get out."

Those eyes replied with a fierce glare.

"No, sir I will not."

"Why?" The single word he'd used to demand an answer hung in the air like a stone.

She sighed.

"I don't know what you've done to me…"

She was quoting him, and he knew it, and it got his attention.

"But I like it. I don't know who I was, or what I did, but I'm changed..._forever._ You've shown me the truth, the only sensible way to live…" She smiled and laughed like he was almost foolish for not realizing what his own words meant to her.

"Is without rules, and I'm never going to be able to thank you enough for that." She finished. He looked at her with a solid stare, not responding, for five dreadful minutes.

"You remember how I "Showed" you? I beat the hell out of you." He spoke with the voice of a man who'd just lost everything and had nothing to lose. She gave him the creepiest smile he'd ever seen on her face.

"We females, have a habit of loving the alien, and we'd stop it if we could." She shrugged.

"We just have so much fun with it."

He nodded.

"I see," He sighed.

"We'll now that that's settled come on we have a hospital to blow up."

"Right."

He grabbed her wrist and led her out of the room. Crybaby felt her pulse quicken.

It was pretty damn close to holding hands.

**_Review please_**


	18. Now, We're Talking

There had always been something about hospitals that got Crybaby going

There had always been something about hospitals that got Crybaby going. They put her on edge, and made her extremely angry. It made everything feel weird to do. A goon said what he thought might cheer her up, and in return got slapped and threatened.

"If I ever hear you say that you want to blow up a children's ward again, I swear to god on the Sabbath I will castrate you within and inch of your life."

The goons eyes widened and he covered himself with his hand. The Joker laughed.

"She's a special kind of psychotic, isn't she boys?"

The goons just looked to one another with bug eyes, and started to mumble amongst themselves about how "the girl was a f--ing loony." The Joker sped the DHL van up, and Crybaby crawled in the back.

"What are we talking about gentlemen?" She asked them innocently. They said nothing and stared at the road.

"That's what I thought."

When the DHL van pulled up behind the hospital, it was chaos. Doctors, and interns were scrambling to get patients outside, and loading them onto school buses.

Crybaby saw them, gasped and a sudden pain flashed through her mind.

"Blue suit." She said, suddenly and for no apparent reason.

The Joker looked back at her.

"What?"

"A blue suit, someone in a blue suit killed Andy."

The Joker flicked his tongue out to the left corner of his mouth.

"Aaaaaand who is that, again?" He looked at her, to try and tell her not to think about it without speaking.

She smiled at him.

"No one sir, just a face from the past."

"Don't think about it too much. Okay boys looks like the winds died down enough to go inside." The Joker said in one breath. The doctors, had all started to move towards the front of the building, and less and less people were coming out of the building.

"Ohhhhkay, so Crybaby, after we're done with Dent, you need to go over that bridge-type-thing, and place your explosives on the side connected to the children's wing. She tried not to show her protesting thoughts but her face betrayed her and he pinched her throat.

"Do we have a problem?" He asked, gently, it might have even sounded caring if he wasn't choking her.

She shook her head. "No, sir."

"Good. Then you two, will go down into the ER and hide your stuff, and the rest of you…" He indicated the Chechens old goons.

""The point of this is to just have fun, so get creative, and try not to blow yourselves up. We are _not _"

Everyone stared at him, Trying to think if it was a good idea to take orders from a guy in a dress.

'Well what the hell are you waiting for? Go out and-uh kick ass, that's _is _what you do isn't it?" The group all converged on the building like coyotes on a dying animal. There was no one in the hallways, which was surprising, The Joker sighed with delight at the messy hallways.

"Oh It just makes me so giddy to see all this happen!"  
Crybaby remained stone face, grasping her umbrella and staying alert.

"Sir, Do you know where Dent's room is?"

He looked at her, snorted, and rolled his eyes.

"Could you try to enjoy this?" He asked shaking her shoulders.

"Please, for me?" He growled it in her ear.

She shuddered and said in a weak voice.

"Sir, I believe I've spotted Mr. Dent's room." He turned from her and saw a door that had about three "I believe in Harvey Dent" Stickers on it.

"What a Narcissist." He said, picking a nurses mask up off the floor, and placing it over his mouth.

She followed the Joker into the white hospital room. Dent was asleep, so The Joker took it upon himself to read Harvey's charts.

"Well now…It looks like my work is half done." He said.

"What do you mean, sir?"

The Joker smacked his lips.

"Tha patient is displaying several signs of hysteria, upon awaking after a three-day coma, he ripped his bandages off and began to scream out for a woman named Rachel, who is now known to be the patients deceased girlfriend…" Crybaby felt a pang of guilt upon hearing those words.

"He is refusing medication even though he is in agonizing pain…"

_**Rachel's dead. I knew her…how did I know her? How did I know her? How did I know-**_

She saw The Joker tense up out of the corner of her eye, he removed a pistol with a silencer attached to it from a holster belted to his thigh, and hid it in front of him.

A cop walked in the Room.

"Ma'am, we're gonna have to move him, now-" The Joker turned around slowly in a way that made Crybaby think he resembled a supermodel, and shot the officer. He snickered down at the dead man, and walked over to Harvey's bedside.

"Ally ally ally-up." He said to himself as he cranked Harvey into an upright position.

Dent started to wake, and Crybaby brushed her thumb over the Umbrella's button.

Harvey woke up, and The Joker took off his nurse's mask. Dent began to thrash around wildly and Crybaby pushed the button. The Umbrella exploded and Harvey Dent soon had a sword pointing to his clavicle. The Joker sat in a chair next to his bed.

"Hiiiiiiiiiii." He said to the blonde, drawing out the "I".

"Crybaby, put that thing away, you'll scare the poor fellow."

Harvey Dent looked at her.

"Annie?..." He looked back to the Joker and yelled.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO ANNIE ALYSS!?"

The Joker shrugged.

"Nothing, she didn't have coming."

"YOU SICK BASTARD!"

This time she pointed the sword at his throat.

"Annie…It's Harvey, remember? From High school, I dated your sister…You used to call me Birdman." He looked at her, trying to get through.

"I don't know you." She said finally.

Harvey glared over at The Joker.

The Joker took off his wig and started to talk to him..

"You know, I don't want there to be any hard feelings between us Harvey…when you ad uh Ra-"

"RACHEL" Harvey yelled at him.

The Joker nodded.

"Rachel, were being abducted. I was sitting in Gordon's cage-"

"Are you saying your girlfriend over there did it?" His rage became directed at Crybaby.

"I was helping him-"

"Did I say you could speak?" The Joker said at her. She lowered her eyes to the floor.

The Joker got back to talking to Harvey, and started to shake his head slightly.

"No, I didn't rig those charges."

"Your men…Your plan." Dent said breathing heavily. Crybaby got a flash in her brain again, like a two second stop-motion movie. It was Harvey, talking to the girl from the part, both of them looking happy and…_younger._

"Do I really look like a guy with a plan?" Harvey started to struggle again.

"You know what I am? I'm a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it!" He told the burn victim in front of him.

"You know? I just do things. The mob has plans, The cops have plans. Gordon's got plans… They're schemers. Schemers trying to control their little worlds. I'm not a schemer." He continued. By now Crybaby had relaxed a little, and started to put the umbrella back together. I try to show the schemers how pathetic their attempts to control thing really are. So when I say-come here…." Despite Harvey's attempts to get away The joker, took his hand.

"When I say that-that you and your girlfriend was nothing personal, you know that I'm telling the truth."

Harvey started to breathe hard again.

"Well, how about I kill your girlfriend, you know, the girl who looks a hell of a lot like Annie, but miraculously isn't and we can call it even." Harvey said mocking The Joker's accent.

The joker started the giggle slightly.

"That?" He pointed at Crybaby.

"That is not my girlfriend, no, hell no. Not my type, far too tall and far too depressing, I mean look at her." He said, leaning back in the chair.

"So you can kill her, I really don't care."

She knew those words were fake. She _prayed_ those words were fake, but they hurt, and she felt rage rise in her throat. She wanted to kill him, again.

The Joker got up from his chair and continued talking to Harvey about the things he'd done, and the things he should do.

"It was the schemers that out you where you are." He said to Dent, undoing his restraints.

"You were a schemer, you had plans…and-uh look where that got you." Harvey reached up and made a grab for The Joker's throat.

Crybaby pointed the tip of the Umbrella at him again, not bothering to push the button…Killing people with blunt objects was much more fun in her opinion.

The Joker struggled to get his hands back down.

"I just did what I do best… I took your little plan and turned it on it's self. Look what I did to this city, with a few drums of gas and a couple of bullets. Hmm?"

He folded Dents arms across his chest and got close to his face. Crybaby felt a little cheated that Dent was getting so much attention, and physical contact from The Joker.

"You know, You know what I've noticed, nobody panics when things go according to plan." He licked his lips.

"Even if the plan is horrifying. If tomorrow I tell the press, that like a gang banger will get shot, or a truck load of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics…because that's all part of the plan, but when I say that one little old mayor is going to die, well then everyone loses their minds!" He let go of Dent's hands and starts to move his hands around to simulate hysteria. The Joker reached in his pocket and pulled out a revolver.

Crybaby's breath caught in her throat, and all anger dissolved. He gave the gun to Dent.

"Introduce a little anarchy, upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos…" He growled at Dent. He moved Dent's hands to point the gun to his head.

"I'm an agent of chaos, oh and you know the thing about chaos? It's fair." Dent glared up into The Joker's eyes and only broke eye contact once to look at Crybaby. But he didn't see Crybaby, he didn't even see the Dispiacere. Harvey Dent saw Annie Alyss, staring at him with pleading eyes _not _to kill the man who'd killed her boyfriend. The man, who he knew, had been responsible for Rachel's death. It made him sick to his stomach that she might cry over the death of this murderer, this _fiend, _and that she might even love him. But she was still Annie… and she'd eve been his friend after he broke her sister's heart. Harvey lifted up his two-headed coin.

"You live…" He said menacingly, showing The Joker the clean side.

"Mm-hmm."

"You die." He finished turning over to display the burned side.

"hmmm… Now we're talking." Harvey watched Crybaby as he flipped the coin. She looked sick, almost dead, with her thin frame in that gray dress. Harvey caught the coin and slapped it down on his arm. The Joker started to laugh manically.

"Crybaby, get this man his suit, he has places to go!" She cried out to her.

She nodded frivolously and dashed to his closet to get it.

"It seems a little…crispy…" She said taking it out of the drycleaner's plastic and laying it on the chair next to his bed.

"Catch you on the flip-side Mr. Dent, and-uh oh…you may want to hurry, we're gonna go out with a bang." The Joker walked out, Crybaby in tow, and slammed the door behind him.

"Go place your explosives, we're going to have talk later." He snapped at her.

She looked to the floor.

"Of course, sir."

She began to run to the children's wing. There were toys everywhere, abandoned in the midst of play. This was the bad part, she didn't like it when people messed with kids.

She stuck the bomb to the wall and put the timer up for fifteen minutes. He activated it and heard the one sound she didn't want to hear. Crying. A loud sobbing coming from down the hallway where she'd put the bomb.

_**Oh no…no no no no NO!**_

_OH YES! Karma, you are one sick moth-_

She started to run, looking for the source of the crying. She skidded to a stop in front of the door way to another playroom. The crying was coming from a toy box that had several chairs on top of it.

_**You're kidding me.**_

She ran over, knocked off the chairs, and threw open the box. It was a boy a little boy, in a lavender set of scrubs. He saw Crybaby and started to cry harder.

"Please don't kill me." He breathed out between sobs.

"Hurry and get up!" She yelled at him and tried to hoist him up.

"I can't move my legs." He cried out at her.

_**Oh my god.**_

She picked him up and started to run back across the bridge.

"How'd you get in there!?" She yelled to him

"I got stuck." He answered, letting out a soft groan of terror.

_**Come on faster faster go go go!**_ She got across and began fly down the stairs. She heard a loud BOOM come from the direction where she was headed.

"DA IT!" She ran to the front entrance of the hospital. When she got there, she found the Automatic door would not open.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" She asked the ceiling in exasperation. She heard the kid cry harder.

"oh don't cry, don't cry-uuuuhm…" She found a wheelchair and set him in it.

"Cover your eyes." She told him

He stared at her in fear.

"NOW!" The kid put his hands up over his eyes. Crybaby picked up her skirt, wrapped the fabric around her hand, and punched at the glass. The third time she hit it, it cracked. Her hand got sore, then finally she gave up and kicked out the bottom glass panel.

"You can look now." He uncovered his eyes and she picked him up again and stepped through the lower half of the door. The DHL van pulled up, and she jumped in the back.

"CRYBABY WHAT THE HELL!?" The driver goon yelled at her.

"I know I know, Okay, just drive over there once we get the boss." She said pointing to a random school bus. The Joker hopped in about thirty seconds later, after throwing a bound and gagged man wearing a blue shirt in the back of the van.

"Alright, let's get out of he-what the hell is that?"

HE said looking at the boy.

"A minor set back, easily fixable." She replied. The van pulled to a stop in front of the bus door.

"Take this!" She yelled to a nurse and handed her the boy.

The minute the child was out of her hands the van sped off, knocking her into The Joker, and sending them both to the floor.

"SOMEBODY CLOSE THAT DOOR!" HE yelled to the goons, and one of the Chechen converts leaned over and slammed it.

Crybaby and The Joker got untangled from one another and returned to their seats.

"Mind telling me why there was a little boy in here?" He asked her in a hoarse whisper.

And with an exasperated sigh she replied:

"He got stuck in a toy chest."

**_??--??  
Ahhhhhhh! _**

**_never EVER work with children. I wanted to kill me._**

**_So go on please, review, I need it, to kill my headache._**


	19. You’re A Straaaaange Strange Man, Sir

The minute they arrived at the compound, The Joker sent the goons to the dock to rig the ferries

The minute they arrived at the compound, The Joker sent the goons to the dock to rig the ferries. They obeyed with doubt, not really understanding how this was going to make an impact, he assured them that soon it would all make sense.

"And if you don't do it…I'll get my little girl friend over there to kill you." He included, pointing the Crybaby. Crybaby felt like she'd been dragged through hell and Sleepy Hollow. Her head hurt, her back ached, and she wanted to go to sleep. She let a soft groan and slid down on the couch. The goons left without another word.

The Joker spun on his heel and looked down at her.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" HE said helping her up.

"Sorry, sir I'm just a little …off."

HE crossed his arms and tapped his foot angrily.

"You've been off you game all day, go have a cup of coffee of something, and-uh… meet me back in here in about five minutes."

She nodded and stumbled off into the kitchen.

**What is up with her?**

…

**What?  
**_You know what. What you did was terrible._

**I don't know what you're talking about.**

_Liar. It's a miracle she doesn't remember._

When she finished her drink, she did feel a little bit better, but still felt bad. She walked back in the recreational area and rested in a chair. She would have fallen asleep, but a voice rang out in her mind.

"You look terrible."

She popped open one eye and saw the Joker (now wearing his suit) stretched out on the couch.

"You look pretty hot yourself." She replied, smiling.

"hm-hm-he-he-he-he-ha!" He laughed sitting up.

"Sir, please tell me, before it makes my brain explode, why, oh why, are we putting bombs on boats? Did you see Speed Two? It was the same concept, and it wasn't a good idea."

He walked over to her and placed his arms firmly around her shoulders.

"Because when I release this next video, the whole City's gonna go crazy…" He kissed her temple, which caused her to stiffen and then relax.

"They're going to run for the ferries, to try and escape…"

He kissed the part of her jaw located, directly beneath her ear.

"And then….BOOM!" He yelled, and threw himself backwards on to the floor and began to laugh. She gigged a little.

"You're a straaaaange strange man, Sir."

He calmed down a little bit and propped himself up on his elbows.

"My name is Joe."

Crybaby's stomach did a back flip.

_You just became the most trusted person in his team._

_**I know…**_

"Sir I have to ask, you're making all these insinuations…"

"Yeah?"

"Are any of them serious?"

He grinned at her.

"I guess you could say…" He crawled over to her and rested his head on the arm of the chair.

"I'm the strangest…." He put his hand under her chin.

"aaaaaand I have the most candy."

He kissed her violently, and pulled her out of the chair and closer to him. She ran her hands under his coat and over his shoulders. He started to toy with the edge of her dress, but she threw herself off him, and hit her head against the arm of the chair.

"What? What is it?" He said sitting up.

"That, it's too soon, it's too soon, it's just…" She hugged her knees.

"…too soon."

He scowled at her. His face a mixture of disappointment, and being pissed off at her.

The Joker didn't hit her though, which seemed to becoming more and more of a bad habit of his. He slapped the top of her head playfully.

"Come on then, girlie, we've got work to do." He said, grabbing her by her hair and hauling her to her feet. She followed him out to the garage where a black corvette was waiting for them.

"I've been saving this for a-uh,…_special _occasion." He told her, while her eyes raked over the machine.

"It was well worth it, sir." Crybaby told him, climbing in the passenger's seat. On the ride over to their location, he started to lay out ground rules for what was about to happen.

"Okay, now listen, because there will be a test later. I …" he said pointing to himself.

"Am going to fight the Batman, now I don't care how badly it goes, and I don't care if I die, but you _Stay Away_ from fighting the Batman, got it." He finished, looking at her.

Crybaby felt a little horrified, but did her best not to show it. It was the _BATMAN_, for god's sakes. She began to feel the mixture of emotions that had been displayed on the Joker's face earlier.

"Of course, sir." She answered him back, gritting her teeth.

He popped her in the ear. Being slapped in the ear of all things, was something that had not been done to her since second grade, and it caused such a familiar shock that she cried out with a squeak.

The Joker gave his passenger a strange look, and saw that she had covered her mouth with her hands, and was wearing him "Carrie" eyes again.

He started to laugh at her.

"What….he-he-he-he-HA! Was...hm-ho-hee-hee…THAT?!" He asked her, trying to look at her and watch he road at the same time.

She just shook her head, and started to laugh with him.

"I don't…hahahahaha…I don't know, sir."

He smirked at her.

"Like I said girlie, call me Joe."

Her mind froze in the middle of thinking, and her conscience began to control-alt-delete.

Their location was a sky scraper, a half finished sky-scraper, that looked like if someone breathed on it, it was going to fall on its side.

"Nervous?" The Joker asked, closing his door.

"Yes." She stated firmly.

"Yes, I am."

"Good." He said to her sliding across the hood of the car.

"Nervous people, usually act on impulse, and you're going to need a LOT of that tonight."

"Sir?" He didn't respond.

"Joe…what if we fail?" He grabbed her arm and lead her inside.

"If we fail…our cause dies, therefore we can not fail…" He grabbed her face to make sure she was looking at him.

"We…will _not_ fail. Kapeesh?"

He let go of her face and she nodded, dutifully.

"Now that that's settled, go check on the team, they should be…" He cleared his throat.

"Almost ready."

"Of course, sir." She smiled at him, and ran off down the hall, clutching her Umbrella to her side.

_**I'm scared…**_

_I know…I am too._

_**He's never actually said he loves me I mean…**_

_Let's not think about that right now, shall we? We have work to do._

She pushed the thoughts from her mind and walked into the room where the goons were holding, several hostages captive. It was a smart idea, having the captives dress up as captors… but it was a little predictable.

"We all good in here?" She asked the goons.

A few nodded. One said yes and the others just ignored her.

"Great job guys, I can." She played up an obviously fake smile.

"_really _see the team spirit." She closed the door and went to find The Joker.

It took a while, it was dark by the time she found him, and the lift ride up was wobbly and unsettling. He was on the top floor, his coat swishing behind him in the slight breeze, The Chechens dogs surrounding him.

"The team says everything's fine, sir." She said softly, leaning in the doorway.

"You're very good at following orders, Crybaby." He told her, not bothering to turn around.

"You're going to be very good at giving them, too."

"Sir I don't know what you mea-" And then he was there…_The Batman. _

"Oh you made it, I'm so thrilled." The Joker said to him, his dark eyes a ablaze, with curiosity.

"Where's the detonator?"

Crybaby held back a laugh, It was lines like that, and murder victims that screamed out to "Please stop" that just flipped her giggle box. Like saying that was going to make a difference.

"hm-hm GO get him!"

The Dogs rushed at him.

"Girl get over here." He told Crybaby firmly. She ran to his side, and stared at the sight unfolding before them.

He'd knocked one dog over the edge, and the other two had him by the arms.

"Ahh." The Joke said stalking towards him. He knelt over the Batman and started to strike him with a lead pipe he'd picked up.

_**Joker in the Pruett building with the lead pipe! **_Her mind raged wildly.

The Batman kicked him off, and Crybaby had to dodge to make sure she didn't get head butted in the stomach,

The Joker bounced back, though, jumping at the Batman, and slamming the pipe into his head. The Batman got tangled in a net that had been tossed to the floor by careless construction workers. The Joker hit him again, and again. The Joker stepped back into the shadows, allowing the Batman to get up.

To add insult to injury, the stupid lights in his mask started to flicker madly, which only meant he couldn't see...that was good….no…it was _fantastic._ The Batman began to turn around spastically, trying to find a light in the dark. He almost didn't see the Joker lunge at him with the pipe. The Joker used the pipe, and forced the Batman on his back in an open area of the construction sight.

"Girlie…do me a favor…" The Joker said to her, turning his head.

"Go down one level, to watch the fire works and I'll meet you when I'm done."

She nodded, and sped down the stairs, and began to wait.

The Joker smiled and turned his attention towards the Batman.

"Now back to us…" He jammed his knee in the Batman's stomach.

He pressed the bar over the flying rodent's collar bone.

"We really should stop this fighting, Otherwise we'll miss the fire works!" He said, laughing as he did it.

"There won't be any fireworks!" The Batman yelled up at him.

The Joker looked out to the ferries with anticipation.

"And here…." He almost whispered

"We…" Crybaby said gazing out at the water.

"Go…" Neither of them knew they were saying the exact same thing, but they both knew of each other's disappointment when the ferries remained intact.

"Damn it." Crybaby whispered. She had a feeling she was going to be beaten for this.

The Joker scowled in confusion and looked at square clock nailed to a wall nearby.

It was midnight.

"What were you trying to prove? That everyone's as ugly as you?...You're alone."

The Joker smirked down at the Batman.

"Oh, Now, I wouldn't say that, but…You _still_ can't rely on anyone these days. You got to do everything yourself…_._ Don't we? That's okay. I came prepared. It's a funny world that we live in…speaking of which, you know how I got these scars?"

"No, but I know how you got _these_!" The Batman growled up at him.

Steel spikes came up from the protrusions in the Batman's gauntlet and settled in The Joker's hand. The Joker reeled back in shock, releasing his grip on Batman. The Batman grabbed him by his coat and threw him over the edge of the Pruett building.

Crybaby knew what had happened the minute she saw a flash of purple and laughter whoosh by the glassless window, and her breath caught in her throat. Unable to scream, unable to cry, she let thoughts of jumping to be with him float through her mind casually. A grappling wire shot past her, and latched on to the Joker's pant leg. She sighed in relief. When he started to come up to her window, she tried to pull him inside.

"No… no…NO!" He lashed out at her, trying to hit her in the stomach.

"But sir-"

"Save it Crybaby, I know what you are…what you're about...why you're still here."

Her grip on him remained steadfast and he could hear the Batman start to pull harder.

"Sir, I don't know what you mean."

"Annie Alyss, you love me." His statement hung in the air as much as he did.

"…and?"

"And? Pffffft _And _you don't get it….I don't…_love…_you." She stared at him with watering, and unbelieving eyes.

"I love my wife Jeannie, and-ooh come on look at you…I couldn't love you…" He was stating it like it was the most obvious thing to see. He widened his eyes and smacked his lips.

"You're all scarred up…and my Jeannie had the most…_prefect _skin.."

_That's right, break her heart, tell her what she doesn't want to hear, make sure she never wants to see you again._

"Get the hell out of my sight, you're just so…Blah." That was the last thing she heard him say, before she started to run. She ran out of the building, her mind racing.

_Your name is Annie__ Miranda Alyss your favorite song is God of Thunder, you lived on thirty-two west Harlow street and you have an older sister named Tara Sugar Alyss who hated her middle name and dated Harvey Dent in high school, they dated two years into college, before he left her accusing her of cheating on him, even though she didn't and it made so depressed she ran away to Mexico, where she met a blind man named S.J. who she fell in love with, and is now living with, because she doesn't believe in marriage. The Joker killed your boyfriend, who did believe in marriage and wanted to marry you, and in fact was going to propose to you, but was shot before he could buy the ring, with the money he was supposed to be paid with from the bank-job which The Joker orchestrated._

_The Joker ruined your life._

…_**and yet**__** made it so worth living…**_

Annie looked up at the sky and caught her breath…

And she began to scream.

A few blocks away at the Pruett building the Joker looked at the Batman with remorseful eyes, that were masked by his feigned annoyance.

"Ugh, _you_. You just couldn't let me go, could you?.." He said sneering at the Batman.

…**I love you**** too Annie Alyss…**

"This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object."

…**I'm sorry, pretty girl.**

_**??  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!**_

_**IT… ISN'T… OVER!! **_

_**I'm going to write a short epilogue and then I swear I'm done with this.**_

_**Thanks for sticking with me, babes.**_

_**You know the thing about reviews?**_

_**They're fair.**_


	20. The Author's Final Thoughts On Her Story

It has dawned on me that this character of mine is very…Mary-Sue

Ladies and Gentlemen…

I'd like to thank the Academy,

The Writers of Doctor Who (without them I might have never started writing)

My mother (who encouraged it this, cuss words and all)

My Aunt Seme (Who would tell me straight up if this sucked)

Charlotte Sometimes Whose lyrics half inspired the Character.

And I'd like to Thank Heath Ledger for being a complete unsympathetic psycho clown.

We love you, man!

And last but not least Christopher Nolan: For not screwing it up.

My reviewers:

Alex- You, my dear are a rockstar, and I thank you for your support

Seren-chan – This person told me what is was and how it was done, I can't thank her enough, for telling me about my flaws.

Undead-Poptart- as the name suggests you are crazy good.

Neonguitarstrings-my first reviewer when this story was not but and infant. Kudos to you.

Nelle07-I have not seen you for a while, but I enjoy your commentary.

Vballmania- high-five

Scarylittlesister-for making me realize in my moment of doubt that I hadn't created a Mary-sue…a least I hope I haven't.

ZairiaDuvessa- WHOOOOO!

Iloveme5895- I love you too!

Fortunate frown- I don't know why but I read your reviews and start thinking about swing music…

Purple Punk Pirate- First alerted me that I had a crazy person on my hands…and to the fact it was kinda perfect in a way. I heart you, sooooo bad.

Candysweets- run-jump-hug this is another person who told me she wasn't a mary-sue, and for this I love her.

Queen O Randomness-….You make me think of swing music too,…

Werewolf's beloved- I know right?

Lysi-marie- Thank you, thank you, you're far to kind.

Bite-the-proverbial-bullet- It's okay I won't freak out, just make sure to let me know when you're writing it, so I can read it.

Hatorisgirl15-thank you, my dear, that was very spur of the moment.

OK it think that's all the reviewer…I think….I'm not sure, if it isn't I'm sorry.

Now, I've got weird trivia.

I wrote this story running on 133 cups of coffee….Seven cups per chapter.

I've seen The Dark Knight six times, and I'm taking pride, In having what I've been told is the most dialougue-from-the-movie accurate fic….but then again, he could have lied.

My beta-readers –who are non-site- have paper copies, and wrote in perverted phrases where ever they felt like it.

Count the Brokeback mountain refrences.

I forgot that Heath's daughter's name was Matilda-Rose…so I changed Crybaby's middle name to Miranda.

Jeannie _is_ the Joker's dead wife's name, curtosy of Alan Moore.

The Kid from the toy chest's name is Alan Bolland. (taken from the writer and artist behind the Killing joke)

I am cool about the whole thing,.. BUT MY BETAS (of which there are four) have this HUGE conspiracy about how people are copying me. They keep hounding me about how certain lines, are similar to mine, and how The Joker's behavior seemed to change in different stories after I posted the abuse chapter, apparently there were girls named Alyss and a few characters with great legs.

My opinion? Great minds think a like.

I stole her last name from a book I didn't read. I think it was called Alyss and the Wonderland wars, so hooray for thievery.

If your character has great legs, lets start a community! We'll call it We wear short shorts

And it will rock.

Beta's if you're reading this (which I know you are) CHILL OUT! This is a hobby NOT a cult.

Originally, that parapalegic kid, was going to be semi-adopted by Crybaby because he was a fan of the joker, but that didn't fit. So I tossed it out.

Rachel Hathor –The Contstantine Character- was going to make a cameo in the hostages and talk about a first marriage that crybaby had –that didn't happen- but she got booted out too.

I almost ruined this story about five times.

And finally, Bomber was inspired by a Time-Warner commercial, that said satalite companies hate puppies…

Who hates puppies?

THE SEQUEL:

Yep, there's going to be one.

The plan is that, I'm going to write Tara and S.J.'s story., and then a one John Contsantine fic (It's relevant, I swear) Then The sequal, there's a note about it in my profile, at the end under: KATE, I am Kate, not the other girls, since they're retired, I'm probably going to take them off the profile.

Oooookay, you've heard my soap box stories and seen how odd I am…

Now on with the Epilouge.


	21. Why Don't You Want To?

The trail started a week after The Joker's capture

The trail started a week after The Joker's capture. They put him up on the stand where he prattled off his views, about how the only sensible way to live was without rules, and how everything burned…

Annie watched it, against her older sister's will.

Tara said it would only make her more depressed, and angry with him.

Then they announced that Harvey Dent was dead…and Tara shut up.

Tara was beside Annie the entire time, waiting for her to snap again.

The apartment was unusually quiet.

And then there he was….

To her surprise The Joker plead guilty…part of a plea deal, that let the Dispiacere get off clean. For a split second Tara thought Annie was going to shoot the TV, she'd been counting on getting arrested, so she wouldn't have to deal with what she'd done at the hands of the public. Instead she simply whispered with a grave tone:

"He knows…"

Tara became tense.

"Knows what, Annie?"

Annie looked at her sister and smiled with those bug eyes that she'd inherited from her mother.

"A minor set-back, I don't even really remember how it happened."

Tara raised an eyebrow, a gesture that made her look a little-bit like the girl's grandmother.

"Is it gonna cause a problem?" She asked her younger sister warily.

"Oh, I don't think so, I could fix it if I wanted to."

"Why don't you want to?"

"Oh don't be silly Tara, we're Catholic…" Annie said playfully pushing her sister on the shoulder. She leaned over to her a little, like she was going to whisper a secret, like they did when they were kids.

"…that means we're pro-life."


End file.
